Starting to Live
by The Princess of Stars
Summary: "He felt her silent happy relief tears slowly fall on his bare chest, but he didn't say a word as Lionel himself was not done shedding his same ones. After everything they had been through, now that it was finally over, they needed to let it out and they needed each other" Shepard and Miranda are finally free. Free from the Reapers. Free from a psycho father. Free to finally live.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! So... I've been recently playing the Mass Effect trilogy. Now my personal Shepard romanced Kaidan and I absolutely _love_ them, but if there is another romance I love is the one between my male Shepard and Miranda. I think the Miranda romance is wonderful, _BUT_ I feel like Bioware could have done so much more, because personally, I see a lot of unseen potential. To me, Miranda is a much deeper character that she appears to be. So, this is my take on my first and probably only Mass Effect fanfiction. It follows the Happy Ending Mod on the Extended cut and it's more like a series of drabbles. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Waiting_**

Darkness was all around him. The emptiness engulfed him. Flashes of his life came back to him: his childhood in the colonies, the day he defeated Saren and the Sovereign, dying once after the destruction of the _Normandy_ , waking up to seeing _her_ face for the first time, curing genophagy, destroying the Reapers. Was he on his way to Heaven? He flashed to all his friends, those who were gone: Thane, Legion, Ashley, Mordin… and those who had lived: Garrus, Joker, EDI, Tali, Kaidan, Jack, Liara, Jacob, Kasumi, Samara, Grunt, James… but _were_ they still alive?... _Miranda_ … he went back to their first conversations, how cold and distant she was. He went back to how he slowly managed to get through her walls of ice, he went back to helping her saving her sister, he went back to fighting side by side with her against the Collectors, he went back to all their he went back to Sanctuary, he went back to when he promised to come find her… was _she_ still alive? If that was his way to Heaven, then he was sure he was going to find out, but suddenly the darkness seemed to be slowly fading. Miranda's reassuring face vanishing with it. Soft noise was what he was starting to feel. Muffled noise and a tingling sensation go through his body.

"He's waking up" was the first thing he heard almost clearly, and recognized Miranda's unmistakable voice. Was it a dream? Was his mind playing games with him? "Call Doctor Chakwas!"

"I'm on it!" said another voice

"Lionel" Miranda called softly "Lionel it's me, it's Miri. Can you hear me?" He dared a movement as he tried to open his eyes. His eyelids, as heavy as mountains, felt like they were draining all his energy. Slowly a blurry figure came into view, surrounded by a bright white "I'm right here, Lionel" she soothed him. His vision was still blurry, but he managed to finally see her face, her black hair and beautiful blue eyes. The moment she saw recognition in his grey eyes, a relieved smile appeared on her face as she stroked his short raven hair, with such a gentleness that he had faintly felt her affectionate touch. Suddenly he felt his breath hitch and his heart pounding hard against his chest. Miranda's smile vanished and her eyes once again filled with worry. She glanced back up at the monitor, her mind swirling back to when he first woke up when he was just a job to her.

"Miranda, the monitor! What's happening to him?!" it was Tali's voice. Lionel recognized her voice and he tried to move towards it, but his breathing was quickening and heart beating faster.

"Lionel, don't try to move. Just lay still and try to stay calm" she said, before snapping her head back to the door. Doctor Chakwas ran in followed by Jack.

"Heart rate still climbing. Brain activity is off the charts" Miranda explained before the Doctor could even ask "Stats pushing into the red zone. He needs a sedative!" Chakwas didn't have the time to be impressed by the accuracy of Miranda's words and immediately proceeded with the sedative.

"One dose coming right away" Chakwas said urgently.

"Oh, look! The cheerleader is a doctor too, now. Figures…" the tattooed woman commented.

"Not now, Jack!" Tali interjected, for the first time in Miranda's defense.

"Ladies, I have to ask you to go outside. If you need to fight do it there" Chakwas said categorically. Jack was about to protest, but Tali placed a hand on her shoulder gently pushing her to the exit as Kasumi made herself visible and accompanied them out of the door. Miranda was reluctant to leave, but she knew it was best to let the doctor handle the situation and hesitantly walked out of the door, her eyes never leaving the man she loved.

"Second dose of sedative" Chakwas said, but her voice was now becoming muffled once again "Heart rate dropping. Stats going back into normal range" and he felt it, his breath slowing down again, his heart beating slower. Chakwas never daring to look away from his vital signs on the monitor, until she was sure her Commander was stable.  
The last thing Lionel Shepard saw were Miranda Lawson's pained eyes.

Miranda stood motionless as the door closed in front of her. She had never felt more useless. She wanted more than anything to be beside him, but her rational side knew that she was too emotionally involved to think right. She had been correct in that room, but knew that if things got worse she probably would have messed it up. With Chakwas, her Lionel was in better hands than hers. They had said their goodbyes before he headed to fight the Reapers, but there was one thing she regretted now more than ever. They never told each other 'I love you' and if something went wrong, they may never have that chance.

"Would you sit the fuck down instead of standing there like a pole?! Shepard is not coming out of that room anytime soon" Jack barked at her.

"Jack! We're all shaken up, worried and nervous, here. There's no need to be so nasty, especially to Miranda" Tali interjected again, not even bothering with surprising herself when she defended the ex-Cerberus officer for the second time.

"Tali is right" the thief added "We're all having a hard time. Just because you don't like her, doesn't mean you have to take your frustration out on Miri" Kasumi said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" the tattooed biotic exclaimed "Shepard is in that room! He's the one who almost died to save the galaxy and the cheerleader gets all the sympathy?!"

"Girls!" Miranda called before they could start arguing, getting their attention, sitting down beside Kasumi "Enough… fighting won't help Lionel get better… and he wouldn't want us to" No one could or wanted to argue with that. Chakwas came out of the hospital room a few minutes later. She said he was stable, but it was best not to see him, mostly because he had reacted to the outside stimuli and needed rest. None of them moved from their seats as a pregnant silence filled the air.  
One by one, the rest of their companions showed up all asking the same question and all getting the same answer. Only Garrus and Liara were nowhere to be seen. Miranda assumed it was because of their wounds and they too needed rest, even if they had already been sent home from hospital. The explosion had killed most of the men running to the Crucible. Garrus and Liara had been lucky. The asari had been hit in the stomach by a rock splinter, with so much force that it had pierced through the armor and her skin. It wasn't too deep, but enough to force her to stay home and rest. The turian on the other hand had a few cracked ribs other than a wound similar to Liara's, resulting in him having to stay home as well. They might have not been there in person, but Miranda had spent enough time with them to know that their mind was on Lionel as well.

Shepard was their leader and each one of them loved him in a different way, even Grunt, the Krogan. They were all so much different from each other and yet Shepard managed to keep them together. To Grunt he was a worthy clan leader, to Kasumi and Jacob he was a most trusted friend. To Tali, Garrus, Liara, Kaidan and Joker, Lionel was sort of a gang leader, they went way back and they trusted him blindly. Not to mention that both Tali and Liara had a crush on him in the past, with the difference that Tali ended up finding love in Garrus, Liara tried not to show it, but Miranda knew she still had feelings for him. To James Vega he was a mentor, not just his Commander. To Jack, in a way he was just like what he was to Miranda: the man who opened her eyes. He had showed Jack that it was okay to let people in, to trust them and that you don't have to do everything alone. It was the same thing he had showed Miranda, other than making her understand that it didn't matter how she got her gifts, what mattered was what she had used them for… but he had done so much more.  
As they had come, one by one, the _Normandy's_ crew headed back home.  
After Tali had left to go tend to Garrus, the only ones left were Kaidan, Jack and Miranda. Kaidan was hesitant in leaving the two powerful biotics together with no one to make sure they didn't kill each other. He observed them for a while. Jack was unnaturally quiet, nervously tapping her foot, on the other hand, Miranda was just as quiet, but lost in thought. Seeing that both of them were far from ready to throttle one another, Kaidan took his leave as well. On the other hand, Jack wouldn't leave until Miranda either fell asleep or left herself.

The two biotics remained quiet, glancing to each other every now and then. The more she thought about Lionel and how important he had become for everyone, each time she glanced at Jack she couldn't help but realize just how much they were alike in those things that had made them different. Jack hated Cerberus for what it did to her, but she had turned exactly in that biotic killing machine Cerberus wanted her to be. Miranda had been extremely loyal to Cerberus because it had been her home for years after she ran away and saved her sister from their psychopathic father, making her its most trusted agent. Still, both of them had learned to love a life that was meant to be lived alone. Lionel Shepard showed them it wasn't true: he didn't just made them trust others, he made Jack want to use her biotic abilities to be better and he made Miranda feel human and not just some 'perfect' result from a science lab.  
Miranda knew Jack didn't trust her, even if she knew she was romantically involved with the Commander. She might have cut all ties with Cerberus, but the tattooed biotic didn't trust her, even now at the hospital. Miranda had rushed to the hospital the moment Kaidan told her about Lionel and hadn't left for a whole week and three days, leaving only when she needed to shower and change on the _Normandy_ , barely eating anything. Miranda had stayed out of love, Jack stayed because she didn't trust her being alone with an unconscious Shepard.

Miranda had tried not to think about it, but after a week going on like it did that day, with the difference that Lionel had never woken up, she couldn't help but wonder what she would do if she lost him. Like she had told him before, she had surprised herself with how attached she got. She was afraid, afraid to lose him after all they've been through. He had taught her how to love him. He had just asked her to be part of his life and she ended up feeling like hers belonged to him. If she were to lose him… she had just no idea how she was going to cope. She felt pathetic. Miranda was not that kind of sappy soap opera woman. She hated this feeling of dependency. If she had known earlier that Love was able to turn even the toughest of soldiers into a lovesick puppy, she would have thought twice before falling for Lionel Shepard… and, still, loving him and letting him love her had been so worth it.

When exhaustion got the best of her and Miranda fell asleep on the hospital bench. Jack took her leave.

* * *

When he woke up, the bright lights made him cringe and shut his eyes tightly once more. His head was throbbing and his body was sore everywhere. He felt something weight on his chest and his leg and right hand heavy, he tried to move and a sharp pain from his side went right through him. Lionel dared to open his eyes once more. His vision was blurry, but as soon as his sight cleared up he looked around him trying to recognize the place.

"Well, this scene looks familiar" he heard a voice whisper. His eyes moved to the door. A tall man with black hair and brown eyes, in an Alliance uniform was standing in the doorway with a coffee cup in his hand and a smile on his face "Only that I was in your position… and a little less broken" he added with a small laugh. A small smile played on the Commander's lips.

"Hey, Kaidan…" he managed to say with a raspy voice.

"Glass of water coming right up" his friend whispered walking in the room and placing the coffee on the small table next to the bed and helping Shepard drink his glass of water. He immediately felt refreshed and his throat less sore, as the water washed away the metallic taste of blood.

"Just _how_ broken am I?" he rasped out, clearing his throat.

"Eh… just enough. According to Chakwas you broke your leg, left shoulder with multiple fractures, ring and pinky finger on your right hand, two ribs and other two cracked" Kaidan explained. Shepard replied with a look that clearly said he was satisfied with himself, considering from _what_ he got those injuries. Then memories of when he first awoke came back to him.

"Where's Miranda?" Lionel asked, his voice still weak.

"She's right there, sleeping" Kaidan replied keeping his voice low. Lionel looked to where Kaidan had motioned at and his eyes laid on Miranda's sleeping figure. She was sitting on the one armchair in the room, legs and arms loosely crossed and her head lolled to the side, her hair slightly messy. She looked peaceful, but even in her sleep Lionel could sense her worry for him.

"She's been here since we found you" Kaidan said "She has never left you"

"How long have I been here? Where am I?" Lionel asked.

"Ilium's hospital. You've been unconscious for two weeks, without counting your brief, abrupt wake up" the Major explained. Lionel immediately panicked.

"Two weeks?! And Miri never left?! It's dangerous for her to be here. She could-"

"-Easy, Shepard" Kaidan tried to calm him down "She's safe here. I got it covered. The Council already gave it a try, but I told them she's under a Specter witness protection program. You know, the typical half-truth: we need to protect her, without locking her up, in case the remaining Cerberus members decide to eliminate her because she might have been a Cerberus big shot, but whether the Alliance likes it or not, she helped you defeat the Collectors and the Reapers and she brought you back from the dead. Miss Lawson will be important now that the rebuilding part has come and taking down the remaining Cerberus. And that's one half true part"

"What is the other half part?" Lionel asked.

"The one I kept to myself" he explained "That she means a lot to you and that if you mean as much to her, it wasn't fair to keep her away from you in a moment like this" Kaidan didn't need to go into details and Lionel did not want him to. He knew that apart from Jacob, Kasumi and Grunt, his friends were still wary of Miranda, Kaidan and Jack most of all. Now he knew that if Kaidan had his doubts, after seeing Miranda staying by his side every day and every night, watching over him like a hawk, he knew that Miss Lawson's feelings towards Shepard were real.

"Thank you" he told his friend, weakly. He looked towards Miranda, wanting to reassure her. He wanted her to see he had woken up and that he was fine... well 'fine' for the standards of what he had just survived. It took just that look to make the Major melt and Kaidan walked to Miranda, ignoring Shepard weakly asking him to let her be.

"Miss Lawson" Kaidan called lightly shaking her shoulder. Miranda opened her eyes, meeting Kaidan's face.

"What is Major Alenko?" she tiredly asked rubbing her eyes with a hand

"The Commander woke up" he said. Miranda's head snapped towards Shepard and was greeted by his smile. Kaidan moved aside, keeping his hand on her shoulder.

"Lionel?" she called uncertain.

"Hey, Miri" he greeted weakly, but his smile was enough to reassure Miranda that he was okay.

"I'll leave you two alone" Kaidan said and with a reassuring squeeze on the ex-Cerberus' shoulder, he walked out of the room. Though he did not leave, and when he saw Jack, Liara, Garrus and Tali make their way to Shepard's room, he told them to give the couple a few minutes, but nothing stopped Jack to look inside the room to keep an eye on the 'cheerleader'.

The moment Kaidan had walked out of the door, Miranda remained seated for a few seconds taking in that her Lionel was alive and awake. Then she got up from the arm chair and sitting beside him she leaned down, gently cupping his face in her hands and kissed him. Lionel didn't hesitate to kiss back.

"You're okay…" Miranda breathed as she pulled back.

"I found you…" Lionel whispered with a teasing smile. Miranda let out a small laugh.

"You ass" was her one comment. That was her Lionel, even half broken after destroying the Reapers, he had the audacity to tease her. "How are you feeling?" she asked him gently stroking his cheek, after carefully lying beside him on the bed, holding herself up on an elbow.

"I've been better… considering that the last time I woke up on one of these beds I jumped into action after being resurrected" he replied, his smirk never leaving his face "What about you?"

"Oh no. You're not worrying about me after being blown to hell a second time"

"I take as a 'I'm perfectly fine' and I won't press the matter"

"Thank you… I hope you aren't making plans for a third" Miranda joked.

"I hope the whole galaxy saw the last one because I'm _NOT_ doing it again" Lionel answered in the same way. There was a small silence between them. Miranda's fingers gently went through his short hair, soothingly. Lionel visibly relaxed under her touch. He cleared his throat.

"How are the others?" he asked softly.

"They're alright. Garrus and Liara came out with a few scratches, but they're okay" she replied "Also, you should have told me you hired Jack as your personal bodyguard, and don't worry: no fights… merely a few insults"

"You two seemed to be getting along at the party" Lionel said.

"We probably will never be friends. We're too much alike in what makes us clash… but we respect each other. Jack will never admit it, but I know that deep down this is one thing we can agree on" Miranda confessed. Lionel smiled.

"Everything is going to change from now on. It's a start" he said.

"Yeah… everything is going to change" A heavy silence filled the air, but the thick sensation of heaviness slowly disappeared as their words and new reality sunk in. They looked at each other in the eyes, letting those sensations get through their minds and bodies as an aura of relief and exhausted joy filled the air. It was then that Miranda felt the silent tears she had kept back for two weeks finally slide down her cheeks. For the first time in years Lionel's eyes watered and tears slid down his cheeks as well. They couldn't even describe what tears those were. They were tears of relief mixed with worry, grief for all they lost, and happiness at the same time. As those tears streamed down, slowly, Miranda and Lionel remembered of the mistake they had made during their last conversation, neither of them was going to repeat that now.

"I love you" Lionel said it first. His voice trembling, choking a small relieved sob, smiling at her.

"I love you too" Miranda replied smiling back at him through the tears. Her voice lightly shaking as well. Closing their eyes they pressed their foreheads against each other's, both could feel the other's shaky breath on their lips. Then they closed the tiny gap between them in a slow gentle kiss, with a tenderness that they had never shared before. It was finally, over and they could finally rebuild their lives, together this time. When they pulled back from that loving kiss, they still remained close for a few seconds more, their lips barely apart and their noses lightly brushing against each other, just to feel the other's comforting closeness. Pulling back they opened their watery eyes meeting each other's gaze, then Miranda tenderly ran a hand through Lionel's hair, down to his cheek onto his chest and, careful to his hand in the cast, she laid down, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. Lionel leaned his head on hers inhaling deeply, filling his nose with her scent, relaxing him. He felt her silent happy relief tears slowly fall on his bare chest, but he didn't say a word as Lionel himself was not done shedding his same ones. After everything they had been through, now that it was finally over, they needed to let it out and they needed each other.

* * *

 **And here you have the first chapter! I hope you liked it and I apologize if I mess up some minor things. I'm new to Mass Effect. Let me know what you think with your reviews and I'll see you on the next chapter!**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **The Princess of Stars**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Back Home_**

His hand and ribs were the least of Shepard's problems. In fact those were the first things that healed. His leg and shoulder were still going to take some time, but they were going to heal soon. What worried him was not hearing from Admiral Hackett. He knew the Admiral was alive, but he didn't know if it was good or bad. Last he heard was that they were waiting for him for Admiral Anderson's final goodbye, but that was it, after that silence.  
On the other hand, he was finally heading back home that day. Not his apartment on the now destroyed Citadel, but the only place in which he really felt at home: the _Normandy_. Deep down, Lionel always wanted to have a house of his own, but when he finally got one, he didn't have the time to really enjoy it and finally feel at home.

On the _Normandy_ everything was ready for his return, his team had made sure of that. They wanted to celebrate their Commander, their friend, they wanted him to feel their love. They had set up a 'welcome home' party on the ship, with music, food and drinks (smartly separating human and asari from Krogan, Turian and Quarian food and drinks) and a few decorations. Garrus and Miranda had supervised the set up and Lionel had absolutely no clue of what was going on. Mostly because all his friends had come see him at least three times during his whole stay at the hospital and that was mora than enough for him. He waited in his hospital room for Miranda to arrive, since she volunteered to accompany him back on the ship. Lionel couldn't wait to get out of that place, but he took those days of rest in the hospital to think. A couple of things came up to him, one thing he was 99% sure of was something he promised himself to do if he survived, the other he was absolutely torn: stay in the Alliance or resign to finally get his well-deserved rest?

Lionel loved being in the Alliance, the action it brought with it was something he deeply loved, but he was tired. He wanted to rest and live. Most of all, he loved Miranda. He knew that if he stayed in the Alliance, being a Spectre he could have protected her from the Council and the Alliance itself, but he also knew that they could have used him for political issues and have him once again flying around the galaxy with no time to rest. Miranda was tired as well, she too wanted _her_ well-deserved rest and she knew she wouldn't have the Council send him flying around the galaxy for their political goals.

"Commander Shepard" Lionel turned around to see Admiral Hackett enter the hospital room.

"Admiral Hackett. I was wondering when I was going to see you again, sir" he replied.

"The rebuilding process kept me quite busy" he replied "How are you feeling, Commander?"

"Much better. Thank you for asking. I'll be heading back on the _Normandy_ in a bit"

"That is good to hear" the Admiral responded "How long until your arm and leg are to heal?"

"Dr. Chakwas said about three more weeks for my leg if I don't behave. My arm is going to take a little longer"

"That bad?"

"Multiple fractures on the shoulder, some are worse than others" Lionel explained. Hackett nodded his head understanding. A short deep silence fell upon the both of them. A shadow passed across Hackett's features and that was when Shepard just knew. He knew something was coming, but he wasn't sure how to interpret that look, but it didn't look promising.

"We still have some time before Miranda comes pick me up" Shepard told the admiral.

"Yes… I thought it would have been Miss Lawson" he almost muttered to himself.

"With all due respect sir, considering how busy you are, I don't suppose you came here only to ask me how I was feeling. You want to talk to me about something… and by the looks of it I believe Miranda is one of the topics" Lionel said. Hackett sat down on the chair beside him.

"Yes, Commander, we do need to talk and yes, Miss Lawson is indeed one of the topics..." admitted Hackett "But I'm afraid you won't like it"

* * *

When Miranda arrived to the hospital, she had walked into Shepard's room a few minutes after Hackett had left. She thought she had caught a glimpse of him heading out of the building, but she couldn't be sure. He had vanished as soon as he had appeared. Hardly managing to hide the smile on her face, Miranda walked down the halls of Ilium's hospital, until she found Lionel's room. She found him lying on the hospital bed, dressed up and with a duffle-bag waiting on the electronic wheelchair. Smiling she made her way to him greeting him with a kiss as he smiled back to her. Lionel was still getting used to this, usually he was the one to openly show affection, while Miranda tended to be much more reserved. She surprised herself of how these spurs of affection came to her, those where the only times she acted first and _then_ realized what she did. It just came out natural.

Miranda placed the duffle-bag on the ground, pulled the wheelchair beside the bed and carefully she helped Lionel sit down onto it. Then, swinging his bag on her shoulder she accompanied him out of the hospital room. Somehow she could sense that there was something wrong with Lionel. He was glad to see her and was happy to be finally out of the hospital, but eclipsed in his eyes was a look of discomfort that had vanished as soon as it had appeared. Knowing what was about to happen the moment they set foot on the ship, she refrained from asking him. She wanted him to have a good time at the surprise party. On the other hand, Lionel knew she was suspicious of something just from the small quick glances she gave him in the moments of silence in their small talk.

When they got back on the _Normandy_ , after putting his stuff back in the Captain's quarters, the moment the elevator's doors to the crew deck opened it was utter Caos. Lionel was swarmed by his friends who welcomed him back aboard with open arms. He received many pats on his good shoulder, manly handshakes from the guys, a careful hug from Kelly Chambers and Tali and even a fond kiss on the cheek from Samantha Traynor. To say that he was shocked to return to a 'welcome home' party was an understatement, but he felt happy. During the party, Lionel watched as his friends talked and had fun, relaxing for the first time since Saren. There was music and they even managed to arrange a small dance floor space where some of the crew members were showing off their best moves. At some point Lionel spotted Garrus and Tali dancing a little awkwardly due to Garrus's still healing wounds but Lionel couldn't help but find them cute. Liara and James joined them moments later along with Joker who was trying to teach EDI some moves. Jacob was standing at the buffet chatting with Grunt, Samara and Samantha. Lionel had to hold himself back from laughing when he spotted among the dancing people the last couple he could expect: Kasumi and Kaidan, hand in hand, dancing together. Apparently Kaidan had a thing for Japanese girls with thieving for a hobby, and Kasumi for men in uniform. Shepard was content with staying near the buffet, enjoying his drink and watching his happy friends relax, it made him feel better and satisfied to see that all their efforts had paid off.

Miranda spotted Lionel next to the kitchen corner watching the party. It didn't worry her that he was sitting alone, he seemed pretty content with just watching. In fact, not too long later, Gabby and Kenneth made their way to him and started chatting with their Commander, as Miranda headed for the drinks. She didn't make it in time to reach for one that someone immediately offered her a glass of blue liquid. When Miranda glanced up she was met with Jack's gaze.

"You wanna a drink, Cheerleader?" she offered.

"Is it poisoned?" was Miranda's natural reply.

"Maybe" Jack replied, still offering her the glass. Miranda held back a smirk and took the glass, surprising Jack "You're actually taking the chance of letting me poison you?"

"No. You care too much about Lionel to kill me" Miranda said taking a sip of the harmless drink.

"Well, that was a low blow. Was that written in my psych profile as well?" Jack replied.

"No, it's written in your attitude towards him" the ex-Cerberus said "By the way, thanks for the drink. Should I take it as a peace offering?"

"No, I just wanted your attention to have a word with you" Jack replied. Miranda turned back to her eyeing her suspiciously. Something was different about Jack. She wasn't in her usual angry, snarky attitude. It seemed like she was serious and wanted to actually speak with her.

"I'm listening" Miranda replied, intrigued by her sudden change.

"You remember what I told you at Shepard's party? The only compliment I gave you?"

"The one about me having 'fantastic tits'? Yes, I do remember" Miranda said letting out a small laugh

"Yeah, well… that was… well… pretty much the only other compliment I could come up with to hide what I really thought about you" Jack confessed looking away. Miranda looked back at her curiously. Jack looked at her drink and took a deep breath before spilling.

"I… didn't trust you with Shepard. He has become a dear friend to me and the fact that Cerberus had its eye on him either to use him or kill him, after what they did to me, it was more than enough for me to be on the look-out for him. When he was in hospital, I didn't stay all that time and leave only when you fell asleep just out of friendship I… I still didn't trust you around him"

"Jack-"

"-Cheerleader, this is fucking hard for me, so let me finish 'cause if I don't say it now, I'll need to get a hell lot drunk to do this and I don't have a designated driver" Jack said irritated. Miranda let her finish "What I'm trying to say is that: I will always hate you… but I was wrong about you… you… you are not the selfish, spoiled, manipulative cheerleader I thought you were. I… I thought you were using Shepard's feelings for you to eventually manipulate him for Cerberus or your own ends…" Miranda wasn't completely surprised. She knew Jack was keeping an eye on her, but she wasn't expecting her to actually admit it and sort of trying to apologize.

"What made you change your mind?" she asked calmly. Jack didn't look back.

"What _should_ have was the fact that you have shown nothing but loyalty to Shepard and that you stayed beside him throughout his whole time at the hospital, but what really did was when he woke up" Jack confessed "I watched you two through the curtains of the window… I… I saw you like I never expected to see you… the way you looked at him… you're… human after all… and you love him. I mean- you actually do love him" Miranda didn't hide the small smile on her face as she looked at Lionel who was joking around with Gabby and Kenneth.

"I do… I always thought I was nothing more than the result of a good experiment that should have actually been perfect... that I was nothing more than _good"_ she paused "Lionel makes me feel like I am enough, he _believes_ that I am enough… and then he made me believe it too" Miranda confessed looking at her Commander, then she looked back to the tattooed biotic "… just like he believes and made you believe that you are worth more than what Cerberus wanted you to be" she added. Jack's eyes snapped back to the Australian, but looked away immediately. She hesitated.

"Was _that_ written in my psych profile?" she said trying to sound irritated.

"Neither" Miranda gently replied "It's just what Leo does… somehow, he sees in us something we can't see in ourselves and he makes us want to be different… better" she paused "I am lucky that after everything that's happened he chose to be with me… even if I will never understand what he sees in me"

"That's two of us, then" Jack added taking a sip of her drink, surprised by the other's voice. Miranda never spoke to her so gently before. The two women glanced at each other and looked away immediately. Miranda couldn't believe that she and Jack just had a heart-to-heart moment, but somehow she was happy about it. As she told Lionel before, maybe they will never be friends, they were too alike, but they did respect each other.

"Well, anyway…" Jack started "As I said: I will always hate you… but I'm happy Lionel has you. It doesn't take a genius to see that you make him happy"

"And I'm glad he has a loyal friend like you who watches over him" Miranda replied. Jack hardly held back her small smile as silence fell between them, once more.

"Before you ask, we are _not_ hugging" Jack snapped not looking at her.

"A handshake will do. Truce?" Miranda suggested holding her hand out. Jack looked at it for a moment and then looked away just as she took her hand and shook it. Letting go of each other's hands, silence fell between them once more. Jack glanced at Miranda, but the moment the brunette looked back at her, the biotic glanced away immediately. Miranda smiled to herself and taking another drink with her she walked towards Lionel just as Gabby and Kenneth walked away. He smiled at her as soon as he laid his eyes on her face as she offered him the drink.

The rest of the evening went well, apart from those who had witnessed Miranda and Jack shake hands, the lack of dirty looks and tension between them was not something that went by unnoticed, but no one dared to say anything about it for the rest of the party and enjoy the evening. When the party was over, Miranda went with Lionel back to the captain's quarters and helped him get ready for bed, helping off the wheelchair, with the sling and the cast and getting into bed. Then she got ready for bed herself. She didn't even ask Lionel if she could stay with him, first of all he wanted her to stay with him, second _she_ wanted to stay with him and third, in case he needed anything during the night she wanted to be there to help him while he still recovered.

"It's good to see everyone's doing well" Lionel said putting his good arm out inviting Miranda to snuggle up to him as she got under the covers.

"It is indeed. All thanks to you" she replied with a smile, placing her head on his shoulder.

"It's thanks to all of us" he replied looking up at the ceiling.

"I'll let that go for now, only because I don't want to start a never ending discussion and think about the recent events. At least for tonight" Miranda replied. Lionel chuckled lightly and planted a soft kiss on her head.

"It's been the best 'welcome back' party ever" he paused glancing back at her "Thank you. I know it was your idea"

"Actually it's been everyone's… we love you Lionel and we wanted to do something for you" Miranda replied with a soft smile, gently playing with his hair at his nape.

"Still… thank you" Miranda remained quiet, with that tender look she shared only with him, and placed a small kiss on his lips before resting her head once more on his shoulder. Lionel smiled, but then he remembered something "Speaking of the party… What's up with you and Jack?" he asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"A truce. We cleared things up" Miranda simply replied "Let's just say that she's going to give us a little more space and no one is going to smear anyone on any walls anytime soon"

"Wait a minute- Miri! Did the miracle just happened tonight? Are you and Jack friends?" Lionel said theatrically, but also shocked at her response.

"Don't be absurd, Leo" Miranda replied with a slight playful roll of the eyes "I told you at the hospital. Jack and I will never be friends, but we have earned the other's respect and trust"

"Did you suddenly find out that you have something in common that doesn't make you clash?"

"Yes, our loyalty to you"

"Why is it that I am suddenly the one thing in common to everyone?!" Lionel exclaimed frustrated.

" _Everyone_ who?" she asked, immediately catching that his sudden outburst wasn't directed at her. Lionel froze, immediately regretting his outburst. Since he first saw her that day, he knew she had sensed something was up with him, but didn't say anything to avoid ruining their day, but after his small outburst she was not going to hold back. That didn't stop Lionel to try and hide the truth.

"No one. I'm sorry, Miri. I didn't mean for it to come out aggressively" he tried.

"Leo…" Miranda warned, looking into his grey eyes.

"No, really. Figure of speech" he tried again, rambling "I meant that it seems like everyone who used to have problems getting along with someone else, lately seems to find their loyalty to me as a reason to agree on something. I mean- look at you and Jack or Grunt and Garrus! Even Tali and Legion, before he sacrificed himself"

"Lionel" Miranda called his name holding herself up on her elbow and turning his face towards her with a hand. Shepard stopped his rambling, unable to escape her perceptive glance "Please stop acting like nothing has been bothering you" she said seriously, looking down towards him. Lionel glanced at her and sighed. He really couldn't hide anything from her anymore, just like she couldn't from him.

"Admiral Hackett came to visit before you came to pick me up" he confessed.

"So it _was_ him… I thought I had seen him getting out of the hospital" she muttered.

"Yes… well… the Alliance wants to skip my Captain degree and promote me directly to Rear Admiral" he said. Miranda was genuinely surprised at his response, and the small smile on his face made it clear that he was happy about that, just as it made it clear that this promotion was not the problem.

"That's great, Leo! I'm happy to hear it" Miranda said smiling at him, but her expression turned serious soon after "But that is not the part bothering you"

"Hackett also had a message from the Alliance" he continued, his smile fading "They want me on the Council, taking Udina's place. They want me up and running as soon as possible so that I can join the remaining Council members here on Ilium to start rebuilding. He said that being I the one who united everyone, I'll be doing a lot of traveling. First stops will be Earth and the human colonies, like Freedom Progress , then I'll also have to go on Thessia, Palaven, Tuchanka, Rannoch and the rest-"

"-Let me guess…" Miranda interrupted, anger evident in her eyes, sitting up and staring down at him "… _in order to inspire all the species to work together to rebuild and finally live in peace after **all that's happened**_!" she said, taking her partner's words right out of his mouth. Shepard looked away. "Have they really got no shame?!" she exploded with indignation.

"Miranda-"

"No, Lionel. Giving you a promotion along with the choice of retirement and _ask_ for your assistance in the military is a reward. Not putting you on the Council and have you waltz around systems to give speeches and sit back doing nothing concrete, only to have people think that you're just like every other politician in order to take you out of the picture for good!"

"Retirement?" Lionel said taken off guard. Miranda glanced at him in shock.

"Of all I just said that's all you remember?" she said "And yes, you heard me: retirement. _All that's happened_ has been mainly the result of the Council minding its own business, and since _all that's happened_ has been fixed by you, I think you earned the possibility to retire after _all that's happened_! You've been through enough, don't you think?" she paused " _We_ have been through enough" she corrected. Lionel smiled, but he knew that changing the subject would only make things worse.

"I thought about it and I figured that would be the catch…" he paused and it was enough for the biotic to realize that something was up.

"You're not actually considering this, are you?" she said hoping to be wrong.

"I don't want to be on the Council, but, Miranda you…" he trailed off, not sure how to tell her the rest of his conversation with Hackett. Miranda remained quiet, waiting for him to go on "… you know the situation you are in. Kaidan may be a Specter, but he alone can't protect you forever" that was why he was taking their offer in consideration.

"No, Lionel. You don't need to do this for me. I can hold my own" she complained trying to get him to refuse the place on the Council.

"Miranda, if I accept the position on the Council I won't only be able to help with the rebuilding, I will also be a Specter and I will be able to protect you from the other Council members as well as the ex-Cerberus officers still on the lose!" he argued.

"Accepting that place means suicide for you!" she replied "The Council fears you! They fear you because the whole galaxy sees you as a hero! They follow _you_ , not the Council! Young men and women enter the Alliance hoping to work alongside you, not because they love or owe something to the Council" She had very good point and Lionel couldn't really argue on that, no matter how much he wanted to. He denied it, but more than once he had met young recruits who's goal was to be by his side on the _Normandy._ Miranda took a deep breath and looked away.

"I'm tired, Leo… I am tired of going on with my life trying to meet up to someone else's expectations and I am _tired_ of being a pawn in someone else's chessboard…" she said looking away "I'm not saying we shouldn't help rebuild our homeworld… but aren't you tired of being used? Of being a pawn of the Alliance and the Council?" she added meeting his eyes, as she looked back at him.

"I am. Like you I _am_ tired, but we have to consider your position-"

"Forget about my situation for a moment, we'll find a solution to that later" she interrupted "When was the last time we ever did something for ourselves that wasn't due to the fact that we could have died at any moment? You said it before the final battle: everything will change, but it will change on our terms. Well… I want us to _live_ , Lionel. I want us to finally start living for ourselves. I want a _normal_ life, for how 'normal' our life is ever going to be... But what do _you_ want?" Miranda asked. Her icy blue eyes drilling into his grey ones.

Lionel looked at Miranda in a way he never did before. When she spoke those words, he saw more than just the Miranda Lawson he had always known. He saw her in a new light. There was something different in her, ever since he saw her at the hospital. He didn't know what did it, but something was not the same anymore, something had changed within her. Miranda had made it clear that she was through living playing by the rules of someone else's game and the fact that she had reminded him of his own words, saying exactly the same thing, gave him a weird feeling of… shame maybe? He wasn't sure, but it was about him. Truth to be told, Lionel never asked himself what he wanted to do now. When he was destroying the Crucible, his last thought was that he was sorry for not being able to live up to the promise he had made to himself regarding Miranda and now here he was, alive and with her by his side. He noted to himself that as soon as he was up and running he would fulfill that promise to himself.  
He took a deep breath and held his arm out once more, motioning Miranda to lay back down next to him, giving her a small smile. Miranda hesitated for a moment, but laid back down, cuddling beside him.

"I don't know" he replied sincerely, gently stroking her shoulder "Right now, the only thing I _want_ for sure is having you in my life, beside me… no matter what" Miranda smirked at his words.

"Good. Because I'm not going anywhere, no matter what the Council or the Alliance tries to do" she replied, lifting her head up to look at him with a smirk. Lionel smiled back at her and kissed her sweetly, before Miranda laid her head back on his shoulder. They had done enough talking for the night. Right now, all they needed was rest and feel the other's warmth as they finally let sleep get the best of them.

* * *

 **So... what will Lionel Shepard do? Will he join the Council or will he refuse the position? What do you think is the promise he did to himself that involves Miranda? Your thoughts on Miranda and Jack's heart-to-heart? Your thoughts on the chapter in general?  
Let me know with your reviews!  
See you next chapter!  
**

 **The Princess of Stars**


	3. Chapter 3

**_The Memorial_**

Everyone on the Normandy had dreaded that day, but at the same time they were all waiting for it and wanted it to come: Admiral Anderson's memorial. For the Normandy's crew it was going to be a double ceremony: one abroad the ship, with just the crew to remember the Admiral and their lost friends, and the formal one at the military base. Two celebrations weren't necessary, but they all had a special bond with one another and those who had passed away and they all wanted to share that moment with just each other.

Lionel was getting better, but his leg was taking too long to heal and he wanted to be on his feet for that day. Sure, no one was going to look down upon him if he was on the chair, but he wanted to do so to fulfill his role of leader and in respect towards Anderson. Needless to say that no matter and Miranda's complaints, he had the doctor do a small operation on him to heal his leg, at the condition of not doing any running (or anything that involved too much movement) for at least the end of the three weeks that were supposed to let his body fix his leg on its own. Lionel would have also asked to do the same for his shoulder fractures, but decided against it, know that Chakwas and Miranda would have replied with a categorical 'no'.

It had been a hard morning for everybody, there was that aura of sadness and melancholy that even strangers could feel if they entered the Normandy in that moment. They didn't do anything special. No speeches, nothing. Everyone just gathered in front of the memorial wall they had abroad. Those names seemed to clench onto everyone's hearts as reading one name at a time all the good times, all the good things they did and how they sacrificed themselves for the galaxy. There was just one name that was missing: Admiral David Anderson, and it was in Commander Shepard's hand.  
The soon-to-be Rear Admiral was standing in the middle, among his friends, in his uniform and arm still in a sling. His eyes never leaving the long tag with that name. Miranda was standing behind him, giving him his space and time to do this. Lionel's grey eyes finally moved from the tag and he took a few steps towards the wall and attached the tag in the middle, perfectly between the two columns of names at the sides. Then he took a few steps back, crossing his arms as he was overflown by memories and a new wave of sadness. So much had been lost… Miranda only need to glance at him to know exactly what he was thinking about.

She knew Lionel was aware that they had saved the galaxy and were alive, but he wanted to save everyone. It pained her to see him be so hard on himself when he shouldn't, she knew he wished that none of those names were there. He had been the one who had lost more than anyone among them… but when he glanced back at her for a moment, that sense of grief immediately meddled in his heart with relief and joy, the same had been for her as Lionel turned to face her and took a step towards her as she wrapped her arms around his waist, stepping in his one-armed embrace, careful not to hurt him. Their talk in the hospital and the party night had come back into their minds… they had each other and that was all that mattered. They were going to rebuild their lives together. Whatever the world was going to throw at them, they were going to face it together.

* * *

Unlike their own memorial celebration on the Normandy, the one on Ilium with the Alliance and the remaining Council Members was far from enjoyable. It was work, duty and formalities. Nothing of that ceremony came from the heart, even the fact that the Council decided to have Shepard promoted to Rear Admiral on the same day of Anderson's memorial felt and was wrong, but it was clear that they wanted Lionel's answer on becoming a councilman immediately.  
Miranda's presence would have been the only one who could make that moment bearable, but they both knew that it was best for her to stay on the Normandy for now, and join him with the Council later. The only one who seemed to have enough humanity and share his thoughts was Admiral Hackett.

After his promotion and Anderson's commemoration, now in his new uniform, Lionel called a cab to pick up Miranda from the Normandy and make his way to the embassy. The cab ride was silent. They could sense each other's discomfort. Lionel had no idea of what the reaction to his decision would be, and Miranda felt powerless knowing that no matter what she did or said nothing was ever going to change his mind once he had decided on what to do. If he had decided to join the Council she would just have to suck it up and deal with it. In short, neither of them were happy about the situation, but simply intertwining their fingers together was enough for Lionel to know that she was with him, no matter what.  
When they got there they were surprised to find Kaidan, Jack and Garrus waiting for them outside the council's assembly room. They should have known they wouldn't leave them alone surrounded by Alliance soldiers who took orders by the Council. After all, Garrus was Shepard's best friend who had grown fond of Miranda, Jack's self-given role was clear and Kaidan was the only Spectre willing to help Miranda in case Lionel couldn't.  
Nevertheless, they entered the assembly room, which, as expected, was guarded by Alliance soldiers. The Council members, the turian, the salarian and the asari, directed their attention towards Lionel as soon as he entered the room, followed by his partner and three companions.

"Rear Admiral Lionel Shepard" the Asari greeted him with a bright smile, like Anderson's commemoration had never happened, just like the other two council members "The new uniform suits you well"

"It's good to see you are back on your feet" the Salarian added.

"Thank you again on behalf of the council for your service to the galaxy" said the Turian.

"Thank you, Councilmen" Lionel replied.

"I suppose you do know why we called you here today" the Asari started "Will you join us on the Council?"

"We would be honored to have you among us" said the Turian.

"You are the only one worth of the position" added the Salarian. Behind him, Miranda, Jack, Garrus and Kaidan, tried their best to keep an impassive face. When Lionel and Miranda told them about the Council's offer, much like the ex-Cerberus officer, the three of them were not happy with it. They knew there was a catch, but this was Shepard's call. If he thought it was safe enough and wanted to be on the Council, then they were going to accept his decision and follow his lead once more. Lionel remained quiet for a moment.

"Councilmen" Lionel started "I feel honored by receiving this offer. I am no politician, but now that we finally have peace we have to concentrate on rebuilding and being directly on the Council is certainly the best way to do so…" he paused and glanced back. Kaidan and Garrus were still waiting, hoping he would say something more, Jack was lightly shaking her head, certain of his next works, Miranda looked at him impassively, waiting for his verdict, hoping that he had listened to her. Lionel gave her a small smile and turned back to the councilmen "…but with all due respect, I don't believe I am fit for the position" he finished. His friends sighed with relief and send him a proud smile. The Council members seemed to be taken aback by his response.

"You are… _refusing_ the position on the Council?" the Turian said still in surprise.

"I am" Shepard replied.

"But you saved the galaxy! Are you sure you do not want to be rewarded?" the Asari added.

"I still do want a reward" Lionel replied. Now everyone was doing far more than paying attention, curious to see where this was going. Shepard was unpredictable.

"Alright… as long as it is in our power. What is it?" the Salarian asked, trying to hide her annoyed tone. They had learned very well that she was not one to take 'no' for an answer.

"I want to help in the rebuilding-"

"-Excellent!" the Asari interrupted "We were hoping you would say that. In fact, we already have a task for you"

"You have become a symbol" the Turian started "So we want you to head on the various homeworlds to-"

"Oh no! Don't even go there!" Miranda's voice thundered as she stepped forward.

"Miranda!" Lionel chastised, but she had no intention of letting the Council use him as their pawn again.

"No, Lionel. I told you: I'm freaking tired of this!" she replied angrily.

"You have no right to speak in this room, or even be here for the matter" the Asari replied with a glare "We know who you are and whom you worked for, Miss Lawson. Don't try our patience"

" _You_ don't try _my_ patience" Miranda snapped, now standing beside Lionel "You people are _ridiculous_! You act all high and mighty because you're on the Council, but you always need someone else to save you and fix your mess"

"Oh my God…" Kaidan commented quietly.

"Every time Rear Admiral Shepard tries to speak to you it's like talking to the wind" Miranda continued "You always ask but never listen to the answer. He warned you about the Reapers, but did you listen? No! This man has saved the galaxy _twice_! He defeated Saren and the Sovreign, destroyed the Collectors and freed us from the Reapers by reuniting all species, while the three of you have been watching the grass grow. Not to mention that instead of cooperating immediately, seeing that he was right, you all had something to complain about! Turians wanted the Krogans or no help was coming, Salarians said no cure for genophagy or no help and the Asari demanded help on their home planet or we were not getting any help on the Crucible. You all needed Lionel to save your self-centered asses from a power-hungry moron and a guy with a sword, in order to start reasoning!" Miranda accused.

"Ouch" Garrus muttered under his breath.

"This man has done enough for you!" she continued "He has played his part, he's earned his right to rest. Now, your respective people and those who need the Council's leadership need a guide to rebuild. That's _your_ job! Or maybe you want to leave the task to him because you care more about your fancy title and comfy chair, rather than your own people?"

"Oooh… buuurn…" Jack lightly muttered in the background, finding herself supporting Miranda for once. The tension was tangible. The Council members looked at one another, angry at Miranda and at themselves for not being able to counter all the points the made. They straightened up and turned back towards Shepard.

"What is it that you want, Rear Admiral?" asked the Turian, his face much less friendly.

"I want to be reassigned in the training field" he said. The Council was taken aback once more, clearly not expecting that request.

"We thought you wanted to help in the rebuilding" the Salarian pointed out.

"And I will, but that's not all. I want to be reassigned on in the training field, I want Miss Lawson to have a stable position among the scientific rebuilding teams and I want the two of us to be assigned to the Alliance base on Amaterasu" Lionel finished. Miranda was now the surprised one. She had thought about it, but knew it was too much to ask either Kaidan or Lionel, without having the Council think they were abusing of their Specter position. Not to mention that Amaterasu was not too far from Ilium and it was a human colony that had remained untouched by the Reapers.

"And how is that going to help?" the Asari demanded, crossing her arms.

"You want me to go inspire people" Lionel started "Well, I'm not a politician, nor good at giving 'pep talks'. If you want me to _inspire_ , then allow me to do it in the best way I know: teaching young recruits what it takes to be a good soldier. I chose the base on Amaterasu, because in case my cooperation is needed here, I won't be too far from the embassy. That way I will be able to help both the people and the Council" he explained. The Council members looked at one another. His reasoning made sense: he would be close to the Council, working in the Alliance, but they would not be able to send him travel around systems.

"Very well, you are assigned to the training department on Amaterasu, you can start as soon as your shoulder has healed" said the Turian

"But we cannot have Miss Lawson among our scientist and engineers" said the Salarian.

"Exactly. She is Cerberus. For all we know she could still have contacts with them!" said the Asari "You can be reassigned, but she stays under the Specter surveillance" Miranda had to refrain from rolling her eyes, unlike Jack. Even the tattooed biotic knew that if Miranda said she had cut all ties, she **_had_** _cut all ties_. Not to mention that she would rather die than betray Shepard.

"I thought Major Alenko had made clear that there were very good reasons to why he put her under a Spectre Witness Protection Program. Didn't you, Major?" Lionel said turning to Kaidan.

"Sir, yes, sir" Kaidan replied "I explained that the here present Miranda Lawson, is a key member to stop all the remaining Cerberus officers on the loose and she has already given us her full cooperation. Not to mention her advanced knowledge and skills in technology, bio-medicine, and engineering, and her military combat skills"

"This woman may have worked with Cerberus, but she has helped me first-hand to destroy the Collectors, abandoned Cerberus and gave us her assistance in building the Crucible. I don't have to say that she was the one who discovered that Sanctuary was not a refugee camp, but a secret Cerberus laboratory, nor that given the resources, she brought me back from the dead" Lionel said "Miss Lawson has knowledge and skills. It would be foolish not to put them at use for the good of the galaxy, because you're being choosy. She's a valuable teammate and I'm not allowing her skills to go to waste"

"No, Rear Admiral… it's too dangerous. _She_ is too dangerous to trust" said the Asari, holding her ground. Lionel didn't look back towards the others. He just nodded his head in fake acceptance and his hand went to the Alliance pin on his chest, walking over to the table separating him from the Council members.

"Then this is my resignation" he said and took off his pin with a little difficulty. Shock was evident in everyone's eyes, no one was expecting him to do so: giving up the Alliance for a Cerberus officer. Or rather, Lionel's friends and Miranda knew he was capable of doing that, but none of them expected him to actually do it.

"Wait!" exclaimed the Turian council member, getting their attention "Give us a moment" Lionel smirked and watched as they took a few steps away and whispered something among them. None of them looked happy but the Rear Admiral had just played the silent blackmail card. No Miss Lawson in the team meant no Shepard. The message was clear: either way, he was done being the Council's pawn. He took on a more stable position but kept his rank and Spectre status, that mean that the Council was not going to be able to toss him around and do the dirty work whenever it pleased them, not to mention that if he wanted to put Miranda on the scientific team, after hearing all the good reasons from both Spectres, the council couldn't say no nor revoke their status. After a long minute of wait, the Council turned back around and looked at the Rear Admiral in anger.

"Miss Lawson" the Turian called. Miranda kept her composure and stood her ground looking back at him "There's a vacant position at Amaterasu's Alliance Science and Engineering team… you're the new director. You're starting in two weeks"

"But don't get too comfortable" the Asari said immediately "You'll be watched"

"And since you gave us no choice, Rear Admiral" started the Salarian, addressing Lionel once more "In case she tires something, you will both answer to it"

"Very well…" Lionel said with a satisfied smirk "Then I'll start training the recruits as soon as I get the sling off. It's been a pleasure" he replied and walked away followed by his friends, leaving a very angry and defeated Council.

* * *

"You little asshole! I can't believe you actually did that!" Jack said once they got out of the room, patting Lionel's good shoulder, earning a chuckle from the Rear Admiral.

"Man, the Council is going to be in a stinky mood for weeks…" Kaidan said "I can't believe you managed to blackmail them remaining perfectly in line with the law. Not to mention, using their own fake bleeding heart against them"

"I just did what I had to" Lionel replied "I'm done- _we're_ done- with being used for other's dirty work" he said looking at Miranda, who had just put the pin back on his chest before he could prick his finger with it, and she lightly smiled back. She looked away when she felt Garrus place an arm around her shoulders.

"And let's not forget about the other star of this little meeting" Garrus said, giving Miranda a small squeeze with his arm "Never in a million years I would have thought I'd witness the Council being verbally disintegrated by an ex-Cerberus officer. Remind me to as EDI to hack in their security system to download the video"

"Thanks, Garrus" Miranda said as he pulled his arm back.

"So, who wants to go grab a bite before heading back?" Jack asked

"I do" Garrus and Kaidan replied immediately.

"We'll catch up with you in a moment" Lionel said, lacing his fingers through Miranda's.

"Okay, we get it, the lovebirds need a moment alone. Just don't have us wait too long for your PDA" Jack said.

"Yes, Ma'am" Lionel said saluting her teasingly. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"You know… I actually like the sound of it" she commented satisfied.

"Well, someone's bossy" Kaidan commented.

"Let's go before you boost your ego too much" Garrus said hooking his arm around Jack's neck

"Hey!" she complained, but let him playfully drag her away from the couple. Kaidan following them, shaking his head. Lionel and Miranda snickered at the scene. Then there was a small silence, before the brunette spoke up.

"So… Amaterasu?" she said.

"Yeah. It's been untouched by the Reapers, it's a human colony, there is a military base and a scientific one, it's the best option for the both of us" Lionel replied "Now that I think of it… as soon as we get back on the Normandy we should start looking for an apartment" Miranda was about to reply when his word choice actually sank in, leaving her for a moment with her mouth agape, then she smiled.

"Is it me or does that ' _we_ ' have a hidden message?" she asked, not able to contain her grin. Lionel smiled back. She _so_ wanted him to say it.

"It does" he chuckled, before turning serious and looking at her in the eyes "Will you move in with me?" he asked. Miranda's smile got even wider, if it was possible, her heart pounding and filling with love for the man in front of him.

"I'd love to" she replied softly, her blue eyes meeting his grey ones. Lionel smiled widely and sneaked his arms around her waist as Miranda took his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly.

"Okay PDA-time's up! Get your asses over here, you two!" Jack's voice interrupted from where she stood. The couple pulled back, Lionel throwing his head back resigned and Miranda rolling their eyes, keeping her hands around his neck.

"After finding our home, we're finding _her_ a boyfriend. Agreed?" she said. Lionel chuckled.

"Agreed" he replied.

"Ey! We're leaving!" Jack ranted. Lionel rolled his eyes and intertwining his fingers with Miranda's, they walked up to them, joining their friends.

* * *

 **There you go guys! I hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think about it with a review! How do you like Shepard and Miranda moving in together? Let me know with your reviews! ;-)  
**

 **See you next chapter! ;-)**

 **The Princess of Stars**


	4. Chapter 4

**_The Diner_**

When Miranda and Lionel finally found their own place and started living together, finally felt like they were actually starting a new chapter of their lives together. It was a few firsts for both of them: living in your own home with the person you love. What made Lionel even more proud of this achievement was the look of unspoken happiness in Miranda's eyes whenever they would look for a place, or when she first entered their apartment. He knew that living with the man she loved wasn't her only first, it was the first time she had a place of her own. They both had finally a place they could call _home_.

Moving in didn't take too long, they had their friends come and help out and at the end of the day, they all celebrated with a small party.

Things went well right away. They seemed to be falling into the normal zone. For a while Miranda and Lionel actually started to feel what normality was like, they _felt_ normal: a normal couple living together in a normal home, with normal jobs that didn't threaten their lives every three seconds or less, with the normal chores you get to do at home and fortunately they still had Glif who helped out with the house chores neither were capable of doing. Considering the circumstances in which they had first met and got to know each other, they both found it amusing to see what the other was like in normal home, or rather, finding out the other's hidden talents and small secrets.

For starters, Miranda discovered that unlike what he seemed to be Lionel was actually a very neat man. She also found out that he was a very good cook and quite collaborative when it came to house chores, sometimes _too_ collaborative for her tastes. Lionel himself was quite impressed when he found out that Miranda was a pretty good cook herself and surprised to see that whenever she was doing two-thousand different things at the same time she tended to leave a small trail behind her, like a drawer half open, her personal datapad forgotten on the table while she was doing stuff on her work one, the first thing she was doing before having to do something else left half made, small things like that. Theirs was becoming the life of a normal couple, whose only argument topic revolved around who was doing the dishes or laundry.

Even work was great. As soon as he got the sling off his arm, Lionel immediately started his new job. Considering his previous position, Miranda was surprised to see him so pumped about training soldiers, but it made her happy seeing him come home with a huge grin on his face telling her about his day and his young recruits. She found it amusing that Lionel clearly couldn't fathom why his soldiers were so star-struck when they saw him. Who wouldn't? He was _The_ Shepard.  
On the other hand, Miranda was having some trouble with her new job at first, but nothing she couldn't handle. Mostly it was because of the nightshifts she wasn't used to have, but nevertheless necessary as there were some things her nightshift colleagues needed her attention on. Lionel knew she loved her position, he could see it from the satisfied smile she had whenever she returned home. The only thing that bugged her was that the Alliance scientists and engineers were extremely wary of her and in order to do something she had to organize everything with an iron fist.

It was one particular day that broke the harmony of the situation, mostly on Miranda's side. It was Saturday and the couple had decided to spend the nice sunny day out. Not many people recognized them, but they had grown used to those who did and stared as they walked by, Lionel's arm around her shoulders with his fingers laced though hers and Miranda's free arm around his waist. At about lunch time they stopped by at a local diner to go get something to eat. They were still deciding what to get when Kaidan suddenly entered the diner… with a child, no older than one or two years of age, in his arms. Kaidan immediately spotted the couple and walked to them with a smile on his face.

"Hey guys! It's good to see you! How are you two doing?" Kaidan greeted.

"Hey Kaidan! Long time no see. We're great. How are you holding up?" Miranda greeted.

"Kaidan! Good to see you, pal. What brings you here? I thought you were on Ilium, if not transferred back on Earth!" Lionel greeted and then it took one look for Miranda to freeze when she saw her partner's eyes light up like never before, when he saw the child "And who's this little guy?" he said with a smile.

"This is Tony, my nephew… sort of. He's my cousin's kid" Kaidan said "I was on Ilium, actually, but I'm off duty this week-end, so I thought why not go visit my cousin since I haven't seen him since this little guy was born"

"I see. You want to join us?" Lionel offered.

"I'd love to, but I have to say no. I'm just grabbing something to eat, my cousin is waiting outside in the car" Kaidan replied.

"And… you took your nephew with you?" Miranda couldn't help but ask.

"He's in a bad spot, with a very energetic dog… and -hey- I get to see this champ once every lifetime, I'm kidnapping him whenever I get the chance!" he said smiling at the boy in his arms.

"You can't blame him. I'd do it too" Lionel said standing up and giving the little boy a small tickle on his side.

"You want to hold him?" Kaidan asked "Hey, Tony. Do you want to meet the great Shepard?" Lionel didn't reply, but he already had his arms out and a huge smile on his face. The little boy gave Kaidan a timid smile and nodded his head and Kaidan passed him into Lionel's arms. Miranda smiled tenderly at the view of Lionel interacting like a dad with a child in his arms, but then that smile became melancholic as a pang of what felt like guilt gripped upon her heart. The two of them had no secrets, except for one that Miranda hadn't shared with anyone. Soon enough, though, the child's little arms went looking for his uncle, once more and Kaidan took him back.

"So" Lionel said with a clap of the hands "Let's go order up?"

"I'll be right behind you" Kaidan replied. Lionel sent Miranda a smile and went in line, while Kaidan remained a moment longer and turned to the brunette "Hey Miranda, would you mind distracting Tony while Lionel and I go take our orders?" he asked. Miranda's eyes widen in panic.

"I have… no idea how to…" she tired, but Kaidan had already placed the little boy sitting beside her and left behind Lionel. Miranda remained silent for a moment, with a small kid beside her, her hands up not knowing what to do and her brain had completely turned off for a moment or two. There was one thing that Miranda loved but at the same time was terrified of: children. Never in her life she had to deal with children and the only child she had actually dealt with had been her sister Oriana, whom she left to another family as soon as she escaped from her father's grasp. Not to mention that, no matter what children represented to her, family, she had long resigned to the fact that she was never going to be mother material, for various reasons, especially the one she had never shared with anyone.

Well, now she had a kid sitting beside her and she couldn't really ignore him, especially since he was her friend's nephew. She shifted in her booth to sit more comfortably towards the kid and tried to distract him, like Kaidan asked her to.

"So, how old are you?" she asked with a friendly smile, but the kid was still looking towards his uncle "Hey, Tony" Miranda called again gently, giving him a little tap on his shoulder with a finger "How old are you, little man?" she asked him again "Are you… two?" she asked making a two with her fingers. The boy nodded with a shy smile. Then Miranda got an idea, she took a paper napkin and tore it to roll up the pieces in small balls, the boy watching her.

"Tony, do you want to play a game?" she asked, after making a small goalie with the ketchup and mayonnaise bottle. The boy nodded his head and she explained him the simple task: tossing the small paper balls between the bottles with their fingers. The little boy played along immediately, tossing the small papers into the opening. Seeing that for his height it was a little hard, Miranda picked him up and placed him on her lap, encouraging him as she played with the boy.

"Hey, would you like to see something very cool?" she asked him, unable to control the smile that was now ruling on her face, as she got another idea.

As they waited in line, Lionel turned around for a moment to look back and saw Miranda with the child on her lap, gently using her biotics to throw the paper balls between the two bottles, with Tony looking at her giggling in awe. He couldn't help but think of how beautiful she looked in that moment.

"…you in?" Kaidan finished to say as he looked back at his friend. It was then that he realized Lionel was completely captivated by something. He followed his gaze and a smile broke on his face as he saw the infamous Miranda Lawson with his nephew on her lap, a smile so bright and happy he never saw on her face, gently tickling the boy's sides with her biotics making the child squirm in laughter in her arms. Kaidan looked back towards his friend and saw how warm and tender his gaze and smile were on her.

"Oh God… I can't believe I just saw it" Kaidan said with a small chuckle.

"Saw what?" asked Lionel looking back towards him, knocked out of his trance, confused.

"You just gave Miranda 'the look'!"

"What look?"

"The _'I-want-to-have-kids-with-you'_ look" Kaidan explained with a smile. Lionel let out a nervous laugh, glancing back at his Miri, with a tiny smile.

"I…" he started and looked back towards Kaidan "I guess it would be nice to have a mini-Miri or a mini-me running around the house"

"You could also finally put that extra room at use" Kaidan suggested smiling "And frankly, I can see you guys as parents. I had my doubts on Miranda, but now that I see her, I think she'd make a good mother"

"She'd be an amazing mother…" Lionel replied glancing back at Miranda and Tony for a moment "We're just taking things one step at a time. We've never even talked about it, actually"

"After having literally been through numerous close-to-death situations, through a Collector's base, hunted down by Cerberus soldiers and assassins and three months living together… you never thought about having kids?"

"I mean- I thought about it, but Miri and I have different backgrounds and _this_ -you know- being in love, living with your partner, having a calm stable job, having a taste normality, these are all firsts for us both-"

"-Wait- are you telling me that Miranda Lawson is your first love?" Kaidan interrupted surprised at the news.

"I've had girlfriends before, but it has never been serious. You're in the Alliance as I am, you know how hard it is to actually have an love life!" Kaidan chuckled, nodding his head in agreement at that "But with Miri… it's different… _she_ is different… and I never felt like this before" he continued returning serious " And because of how different our backgrounds are, I don't want to rush her into things that she had long resigned that she was never going to have because of her job in Cerberus. I don't want to put pressure on her. As I said: we're taking things one step at a time" Lionel said, a tiny smile grazing his lips as he thought of next week-end's agenda. Kaidan smiled at his friend's words.

"I have a good feeling about you and Miranda" he said "You guys deserve your happy ending" Lionel smiled.

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it" he said giving Kaidan a manly pat on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Miranda had been so enraptured by playing with Tony that the wait for the two men seemed to have passed by in a moment, not to mention that she didn't even notice they had arrived back to the table, as she was playing at making faces with the boy. That was until Kaidan's voice brought her back to reality.

"I see you two are having fun" he said failing to hide the smile, as he had just seen the ex-Cerberus making a face sticking her tongue out to the boy on her lap. Miranda immediately straightened herself up, clearing her throat, never feeling more embarrassed in her life.

"This one's yours" she said not even looking at Kaidan and passing him the child, who immediately hugged his uncle. Lionel held back a chuckled as he placed their trays down on the table.

"Well, it was nice to see you, Kaidan. I'll see you next week-end for the guys night out" Lionel said bidding his goodbyes and sitting back down.

"You too. I'll see you next week. Miranda, it was good to see you and thank you for keeping Tony occupied"

"No problem. It was good to see you" she replied.

"Say goodbye, Tony"

"Bye" said the little kid, waving his small hand.

"Bye, Tony" Lionel cooed as Miranda waved her hand, the Rear Admiral did not miss the boy sticking his tongue at her and Miranda doing the same in playful reply.

* * *

 **So... this was supposed to be a much longer chapter, but I realized it's better to split it up in two chapters... so... if we get this story to 13 review I'll post the chapter TOMORROW!  
How did you like Miranda in this chapter? How did you like Shepard in this chapter? What do you think about their live together under the same roof?  
Let me know with your reviews and constructive criticism is very well accepted.  
**

 **See you next chapter! (Hopefully tomorrow!)**

 **The Princess of Stars**


	5. Chapter 5

_Confession_

Miranda couldn't stop thinking about what happened at the diner. When they returned home, Lionel told her he had seen her playing with the little boy and what Kaidan had said about them being parents and the extra room. A cold chill had run down her spine. She played the oblivious girlfriend, but it was clear that it had been Lionel's subtle way to try to hint her on the 'kids' conversation. Fortunately, when she just gave him vague answers, he took it as his cue to change topic as it was too soon for her to talk about it. That week had been hard for her and for once, her job at the Alliance facility had been a good distraction, only to come back home to Lionel with a sudden pang of guilt gripping her heart. The fact that Jacob had called them lately and said that his girlfriend was due very soon and seeing Lionel get so excited, asking him a thousand baby questions with a never ending smile, hadn't helped either.

Lionel had noticed her sudden mood change, but Miranda kept telling him not to worry, that it was just a little stress due to stuff happening at work and he had nothing to worry about, she was going to take care of it. That week-end things seem to get better. Lionel never brought up the 'kids' topic again and Miranda was relaxing a little bit, just in time for their respective 'guys night out' and 'girls night out'. Lionel was going out with Kaidan, Garrus, James and Grunt, while Miranda was meeting up with Kasumi, Samantha and Tali. Jack and Liara were invited as well, but due to work stuff, Shadow Broker business and Grissom Accademy stuff, they had to decline.

When Miranda got to their meeting spot, Samantha and Tali were already there and welcomed her with a warm greeting. Kasumi was the last to arrive, keeping herself invisible and deciding to sneak upon Miranda, embracing her from behind. Miranda's only comment had been that she was lucky she had heard her or she'd be K.O. in that moment, but the phrase had been accompanied by a smile. The four women entered the pub and found a table to eat and chat.

The evening was going great. They all shared what they had been doing in the past few months and it seemed like things were well for everyone. Tali was helping out with constructing Rannoch, and that at her work place a promotion was on the horizon. Samantha Traynor had returned on Earth and was working at the Alliance base in London, but at the moment she was on shore leave. As for Kasumi, she went back to her previous hobby: stealing valuable stuff. At that point, Miranda requested her to return her credit-chit. Kasumi gave her an innocent smile and returned the object to its owner, admitting that she wanted to see how long it was going to take her to realize it had been missing. When it was Miranda's turn to tell them how her life was going at the moment, a huge smile appeared on her face as she told them everything. From their new place together, their change in life style, their new jobs, the fact that the only topic they actually argued was that Shepard wouldn't let her do anything around the house. Or rather, they had made a chores board, but he always tried to take over hers as well.

"No, offence, but this is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard you say" Tali commented with a giggle "Lionel Shepard and Miranda Lawson, space-hero and superspy, arguing over who does the dishes and who cooks"

"Don't I know it?" Miranda replied.

"I find it really cute, actually" Samantha said

"So, you two argue… because Shepard doesn't want you to do your chores when it's your turn?" Kasumi laughed.

"Exactly- I mean, I fought a bloody human Reaper with him! I think I am capable of cleaning a couple of dishes" Miranda joked "Tali said the keyword: it's _ridiculous_ " Her friends laughed with her at hearing this. None of them could imagine Shepard playing housewife-husband at home. It was Samantha who asked her to show them the pictures of the couple's new home and Miranda eagerly showed them, proud of their new place and beginning of their new life. It was when Miranda accidentally brought up meeting up with Kaidan that she told them once more what happened that day and the conversation got a different turn.

"Well, now I think I know why Shepard got a house with an extra room to put at use" Kasumi said taking a sip of her drink.

"It's not that" Miranda insisted.

"Trust me, Miranda" Tali started "Maybe Lionel did not say it openly, but to me it seems like he's been dropping huge hints at you"

"Probably, but it's too soon" she replied

"Too soon?! Are you aware of what you have been through?" Samantha said. Then she paused as a thought crossed her mind "You're not saying that because you two aren't married, are you?"

"No! Not at all" Miranda replied "I mean- we never really talked about it" the Australian replied taking a sip of her drink.

"Well, to us it seems like Lionel wants to have kids" Tali said.

"He does…" Miranda said and immediately regretted that slip up, but knew that being on the defensive would only make this worse.

"Looks like someone's got her fairytale ending not too far ahead" Samantha said with a smile.

"We're taking things slow and… everything's working out well, so far" Miranda replied smiling back.

"So… do you?" Tali asked curiously "Would you like to have kids?" It seemed like twisting the knife in the wound, but Miranda knew that none of them were away of what was going on with her. To anyone else, almost a year ago, she would have napped to mind their own business. Those questions were so genuine and so innocent that even if she felt like she was going on the defensive she couldn't bring herself to snap back at any of them. They were her friends.

"I'd love to, actually" once again she had spoken without thinking and she had spoken the truth. Samantha awed teasingly at the reply as did Tali, Kasumi just similed.

"So are you trying?" the Japanese asked.

"I'm sorry?" Miranda asked, not quite sure she had heard correctly

"Are you trying? Like- are you-"

"-Like- as in 'am I having sex'?" Miranda rephrased raising her eyebrow, the other two snickered "Kasumi…" she scolded with a look, surprised by the personal question.

"Yeah. Are you having sex? That's my question" Kasumi insisted trying to hold back her smirk. Miranda laughed along with their two friends, although her cheeks suddenly felt hot as Kasumi insisted on the topic "I want to know how often you're having sex-"

"-When and where" Tali interjected, holding back her own snickering.

"How did this turn out to-? -I mean- yes- I mean… oh damn it…" Miranda stuttered feeling her face turning red. The others laughed at her, as they never saw her so embarrassed.

"It just seems like-" Kasumi tried to rub salt into the wound, but started giggling as Miranda was hiding her face with a hand, laughing at the whole situation "I mean, _you_ brought it up!" Kasumi continued.

"No! I didn't!" Miranda exclaimed, laughing, her face bright red.

"I think you did" Kasumi insisted, smiling amused. Miranda was feeling tears of laughter coming up to her eyes, as her other two friends laughed at her.

"Oh my God… I can't believe I allowed a _thief_ to embarrass me as much" Miranda muttered "Come on, Sam. Say something" she said patting Samantha's arm "Distract Kasumi"

"How's the sex?" Samantha asked her, nonchalantly leaning her elbow on the booth. Miranda and the others burst out laughing " _You_ brought it up!" Traynor insisted, completely poker-faced.

"That's a great question" Kasumi added, holding back her laughter as Tali had barely got herself back together and Miranda had now completely lost it "I mean- It's Shepard we're talking about so I imagine it's good" she said.

"Yeah, it's great…" Miranda muttered, laughing in embarrassment, trying to hide her red face behind her hand "Oh my gosh, I hate you…" she said still smiling, the others laughed at her.

"Me too? I didn't say anything" Tali replied, playing innocent.

"Yes, _all three_ of you" Miranda retorted giving them a playful incinerating look.

"Aw, we love you too" Samantha replied smiling.

Miranda had laughed along and it had been a genuine laugh. Who wouldn't, when your friends playfully try to embarrass you? They were teasing her like friends normally do. This was another thing she thought she was never going to have: a group of friends who would joke around with her and do what normal group of friends would. Yet, here she was. She knew that the girls meant no harm. How could they? They had no idea of what was going on with her and were just messing with her, but still, that conversation left a bitter taste in her mouth and a pang of guilt for the first time gripping onto her heart making her feel like it was going to explode. Lionel wanted a family. She had taken the hints, she knew it… but she couldn't keep delaying much longer.

Throughout the whole night out, Miranda couldn't help but keep thinking about that conversation, not even when she returned home. Her sense of guilt becoming heavier with every moment. She and Lionel never kept secrets from each other, still, she had already broken that silent promise, keeping one more secret to herself all along. When she returned home, Lionel wasn't back yet. The silence of the house didn't make things easier, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She almost managed to stop thinking about it when she got under the covers, but as soon as sleep was about to take over, she heard the front door open, meaning that Lionel was back.

She heard him silently make his way to their room and her heart went up her throat as the sense of guilt started to gnaw at her heart once more. She slightly opened an eye, watching him strip down to his underwear, getting ready for bed. He didn't notices as he was giving his back to her. Miranda's eyes wandered over a few of the scars he had on his bare back. Lionel rarely got hurt and the times he did, those were his only reminders. She watched him cover a tired yawn with his hand, before running it through his black hair, now slightly longer than they used to. The moment he turned around, massaging his once injured shoulder, Miranda closed her eyes again, pretending to be asleep. Lionel was either too tired to realize it or he wanted to let her believe he had fallen for it, as he just smiled at her sleeping form and said nothing. She felt the bed shift as his warm body crawled under the covers. Lionel didn't say anything as he shifted closer to her, then he gently moved a strand of her hair away from her face and softly kissed her cheek. He was soon asleep the moment he wrapped his arm around her waist and nestled his face in her hair. Miranda followed suit soon after. She knew what was the right thing. She had to be fair to Lionel and tell him, but doubt clouded her mind as she had no idea of how he would have reacted. It was then that she decided she needed to speak with Oriana.

* * *

"There you are!" Miranda's head snapped up towards the familiar voice and her eyes met her sister's smiling face.

"Hey, Ori!" she greeted getting up from the bench and giving Oriana a tight hug. She had traveled to Oriana's new place on Ilium and asked her to meet up at the local gardens, next to her college. She hadn't seen Oriana since Lionel was at the hospital. Oriana had come to keep her company for a few days, but considering Miranda's earlier position, they both decided it wasn't safe for her to be around the ex-Cerberus for too long. As usual, the sisters had kept in touch, but seeing one another in person was always better.

"How are you?" Miranda asked sitting back down with her.

"I'm great, actually" Oriana asked "But considering the hour you called me at this morning, I suppose not everything is fine with you" Miranda shook her head with a small smile. She was just like her: always straight to the point.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" Miranda commented.

"Nope!" the younger sibling replied "We're genetic twins, that means I'm as smart as you are, plus, you're my sister: I too have that sixth sense when something is wrong with you" she joked "So… Is there something you want to tell me?" she asked gently. Miranda took a deep breath and started from the beginning. She told her about her meeting with Kaidan and his nephew, Jacob's call, the extra room they had at home, and the girl's night out.

"Randa, this is great" Oriana said smiling "I mean, you have non-life-threatening job, a house of your own, a man who loves you and wants to start a family with you. Isn't it what you always wanted? Building something permanent?"

"It is…" Miranda replied, fiddling with her fingers "… but Lionel deserves a future and I can't give it to him"

"What are you talking about? I see nothing wrong with the situation between you and Lionel. You're like the perfect couple of an adventure book" Oriana said with a smile. Miranda's lips barely twitched up. The younger sibling took her sister's hand in hers "Randa, what's going on?" she asked softly. Miranda took a deep breath.

"There is a reason to why I said that I want you to have a normal life: marriage, children… things I could never have. It's why I took you away from our father. He wanted a dynasty and unlike me, you were perfect… you could continue the dynasty" Miranda paused looking at her sister. Oriana didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue. The elder took another breath "I have a benign neoplasm" she confessed, but when she looked at Oriana she saw confusion in her eyes.

"You have no idea what that is, do you?" Miranda asked.

"No, I'm sorry" Oriana said apologetically.

"I can't have children, Ori" Miranda confessed "It's a condition that greatly reduces the chances of conceiving if not being completely infertile…" she paused "Mine has been reduced of the 98.3%..."

"Randa… I'm… I'm sorry" Oriana said hugging her sister "So this is what has been bothering you…" she said pulling away, but taking her hand back in hers "But there's still a 1.7% chance! Maybe you still could-"

"-Ori" Miranda interrupted resigned "I tried to tell that to myself… but who are we kidding?... _98.3_ …" Oriana sighed. Miranda wasn't angry, she knew Oriana was trying to comfort her, but the younger one knew that her sister had come to terms with it… or at least was trying to. She didn't want any false hopes.

"Lionel doesn't know" Miranda said sadly in a soft voice. Oriana remained quiet for a moment, when she saw her sister not daring to look at her.

"Why didn't you tell him yet?" the younger one asked "You know he has the right to know. What are you so scared of?"

"I… I'm afraid he won't take it well" Miranda replied "I have no idea how he's going to react"

"Randa, if this is the problem, you could always go for adoption" Oriana suggested, regretting it a second later. She knew the situation her sister and her boyfriend were in. No one would give a kid in adoption to an ex-Cerberus member, even if she was Rear Admiral Shepard's girlfriend.

"You don't get it, Ori… He didn't just help me protect you. You have no idea how much Leo has done for me…" Miranda paused, shocking Oriana seeing a tear fall down her cheek, her voice was trembling slightly as another one followed "Before him, there hasn't been a day in my life that I hadn't lived like I was a machine built in a certain way to _operate_ that way. No distractions allowed… with Leo everything changed, _I_ changed…" Oriana stroked her head as Miranda paused, unable to hold back the tears "Lionel reminded me what it is like to be human, that it is _okay_ to be human, to have feelings and make mistakes… Right from the start he believed in me…" she paused swallowing a sob "Leo is the first man that ever made me feel _loved_ and… _enough_ " she said looking into her sister's eyes "He wants a family, his _own_ family, and after all he's done for the galaxy, all he's been through, all he's lost, he deserves it. He deserves a future… I got the hints, he wants a family with me as much as I want one with him… but no matter how much I want it or how much I love him… I can't give him the future he deserves…"

"Randa…" Oriana said softly stroking her sister's hair

"So much for a ' _fairytale ending'_ …" Miranda muttered, remembering her friend's words

"No, don't say that" Oriana said placing a hand on Miranda's "Lionel _loves_ you, having children has nothing to do with his feelings towards you! He will understand. He's always going to understand you more than anyone else. No one knows what it feels like to be expected to be perfect, not the way he does and not the way you do. He fell in love with you because _you_ understand _him_. He loves you for who you are, because when you're together you allow yourselves to be normal because neither of you expects the other to be perfect. With all that has been going on, personally, I don't think he even considered the idea of having kids before you two started living together" she paused for a moment allowing her sister to take in her words "You got the hints and you know what the next step is in case he wants to do things, let's say, _properly_. You need to be fair to him. You know it. You don't need me to tell you that"

"What if this becomes a problem later on… and he chooses to back out?" Miranda asked softly.

"Well, that's his loss, not yours" Oriana replied "You're my big sister and you are amazing" she added wrapping her arms around Miranda's neck, earning a small laugh from her, before Oriana turned back to serious "The sooner you tell him the better… I understand that to you _'rejection's protection'_ , but after all you guys have been through, you should know that if there is one person you can trust with your life it's Lionel… rejecting him is only going to hurt him and make it worse" Miranda had listened to her little sister, but she had already made up her mind. She cupped her sister's face with a hand and placed a kiss on her temple.

"I love you, Ori" she said "Thank you, I… I really need this talk" she added wiping her cheeks dry.

"I love you too. That's what sisters are for" the younger one replied. Miranda smiled.

"Though, I have to say… you're a little too wise for a 19 year-old"

"I've got your same genes, I'm as smart as you are. Also, I'm a human with _eyes_ " replied the other, smiling back. There was a moment of silence that Miranda used to take another breath, knowing exactly what to do, once she was back home. It was Oriana who broke the silence " _So_ " she started, moving her arms away from her neck and wrapping them around Miranda's arm "Now that we got _that_ covered… I realized that this is the first time we actually hang out together in normal circumstances and I'm pretty sure that on our first meeting you promised me some _'sisterly-bonding time'_. Just you, me and good old boring normality, before you head back to Amaterasu" she said with a smile.

"That I did…" Miranda commented. She turned towards her sister raising an eyebrow "You like ice-cream?" she asked

"Who doesn't like ice-cream?" Oriana replied.

"I know a place" Miranda replied with a smirk.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Oriana said pulling her sister up from the bench and jogging away, holding her hand.

"Ori!" Miranda called, stopping her by slightly pulling on her arm

"What?" Oriana replied.

"Other way" the elder one said, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Ops!" Oriana snickered laughing at herself and earning a laugh from Miranda, before linking arms with her and walking towards the ice-cream place.

* * *

It was a matter of minutes before Lionel would come back home. While she was out with Oriana, Lionel had gone to see Joker and EDI, but he had promised to be back for dinner. Miranda was determined to tell him about the neoplasm right away. She had no idea of how he would react, but she had to tell him. She was waiting in the living room, sitting on the couch, thinking of how she was going to break the news to him.

She felt ridiculous. If there was one thing she despised was the label that society had put on women, no matter the species: in order to feel complete a woman needs to have children… _NOT TRUE!_ Not to mention the other idiotic label: in order to be independent women need to be single. That's another load of bull-crap. Miranda herself knew she was an example of this last one: she dated Lionel, she loved him with all her heart, but neither of them were so dependent from one another to die of loneliness. They were both independent, with or without the other. As for the first one she despised it because she knew that not all women wanted to have kids, like there are men that in order to feel complete want children… probably like Lionel. In summary, it was stupid because having a family was something an individual decides to have with or without kids. The only reason she felt ridiculous was because no matter how much she hated that label, the one thing she had always wanted more than anything was the one thing she couldn't have and felt like she was making a storm in a glass of water out of it.

When she heard the front door open, she knew it was the time. Lionel was back home, she heard him calling her, saying he was back. She replied telling him where she was. Miranda stood up, arms crossed in nervousness. She gave him a small smile when Lionel appeared into the living room, his N7 leather jacket already discarded, revealing his white V-neck muscle t-shirt. He was smiling at her and greeted her with a quick kiss, caressing her cheek.

"So, how did your 'sister-time' go?" Lionel asked her

"Good… I really needed it" Miranda replied, trying her best to hide her nervousness.

"Glad to hear that" he replied before pulling away and making his way to the kitchen

"How did it go with Joker and EDI?" she asked Miranda following behind him

"I smell confetti. They're just like an old married couple, you should have seen them" Lionel replied, entering the kitchen "Anyway" he changed topic "I know today is my day to cook, but –hey- it's Sunday and I'm feeling lazy so…" he paused heading to the white paper bags he had placed on the kitchen counter "Sushi?" Miranda broke into a tiny smile.

"You _do_ remember what happened last time _you_ picked the take-out sushi, right?" she teased.

"This one's good, I swear! I checked on the extranet and EDI analyzed it when she got it for Joker" Lionel replied smiling with his arms up in surrender. In any other circumstance, Miranda would have chuckled at that, but she only managed a tiny smile. Lionel noticed immediately "Hey, Miri, are you alright?" he asked, taking a few steps towards her, concerned about her sudden mood change.

"Yes! Of course… I… I just…"

"Miri…" Lionel gently cut off her muttering, placing a strand of her hair behind her ear "Please stop acting like nothing's wrong" Miranda sighed. Her time to think was up. She knew she had been acting weird ever since they met Kaidan at that diner. She had to speak up, not only because blaming her behavior on work stress wouldn't work this time, but because it was the right thing to do.

"I need to talk to you" she said seriously, before making her way back to the living room. Lionel's expression became worried as he followed her. He understood it was something about her. She had the same guilty look she had when she confessed him she had thought about putting a control chip in his brain.

"What's going on?" he asked as she sat back on the couch.

"Sit down" she said patting the spot beside her. Lionel obliged, never taking his grey eyes off of her. Miranda took one last breath before looking back towards him "I…I haven't been completely honest with you, Leo… I know you are already aware of my genetic tailoring, but there is a part of the story I didn't share" she paused taking another moment to phrase her next words "Living with my father… was a nightmare. I always had to live up to his expectations and no matter how well I did, no matter how excellent his colleagues told him my results were in whatever I did, it was never good enough for him… it was always _'Miranda can do better than that', 'Miranda just needs to apply herself', 'Miranda needs to work harder/focus/ get it together/grow up!'_ … but no matter how good I was or how much I improved, it was never _perfect_ enough… and it hurt me… the real blow came when I became a teenager and my father found out that no matter my skills, smarts, looks and biotics, I wasn't perfect… 'Perfection' as we see it doesn't exist in nature, our defects are part of our perfection because they make us different… but when we create 'our' perfection… it always comes with a price. That was when I realized what sort of psychopath my father actually was and why I rescued Oriana… and then I started working for Cerberus" Miranda paused once more, getting closer and closer to the point.

"Leo, I had long resigned to the fact that because of what my father made me and my job at Cerberus… there were so many things that I was never going to have and then you and the other members of the _Normandy_ crew came along. Now I have real friends and I have you" Miranda swallowed back the tears that were threatening to well up in her eyes. Lionel noticed she was struggling, he wanted to do nothing but hold her and tell her she didn't have to say anything more, but knew that if he interrupted now, maybe she wouldn't be able to say it again in the future "Leo, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, you have no idea how much you've done for me… and after everything that's happened to you, you deserve a future and I know that as a 'future' you want a family… and so do I…" it was when she pronounced those words that he did the worst thing he could do at the moment: smile. Smile widely and take her hands in his with his grey eyes shining in happiness.

"Miri-"

"-But I can't give you that" she said cutting him off before he could say anything and make it worse. His expression changed immediately into the most painful sight Miranda ever witnessed: his smile fading and his eyes confused.

"But… you just… Miri, what's going on? I don't understand" he said panicking.

"Lionel… I have a benign neoplasm" she confessed, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

"What does that mean?" he asked softly. By one look, she knew he had no idea of what that was, but he had understood what it meant, but like her when she found out she wanted to hear it said.

"My chance of conceiving has been reduced of the 98.3%..." she said "I can't have children" Lionel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, letting her words sink in. Miranda looked away, feeling like a complete idiot. For a moment Lionel wanted to believe that that 1.7% chance was a possibility, but he had seen far too many things to be optimistic… he was a realist. 1.7% was nothing… and he didn't need to remind Miranda of that. She was right… perfection had a price and the price she had to pay was not being able to pass on that perfection. He was upset, but it was nothing compared to what his partner had been going through. He knew all too well that burden of people expecting you to be perfect. He could see how ridiculous Miranda felt at the moment, but to her that had been the flaw that had never been forgiven. Miranda wanted a normal life and like a cruel joke, her one wish, for how _normal_ it was, was the one thing she couldn't have. It was then that Lionel actually realized something. She had picked up the hints and decided to tell him before they took the Big Step.

"It's okay" Lionel said softly, stroking her cheek.

"What?" Miranda said snapping her eyes back towards him.

"You don't need to be so hard on yourself" he said "It's not your fault… It's okay"

"No! It's not okay, Lionel!" Miranda exclaimed, standing up from the couch "You've had your fair share of crap. This is not fair to you! I don't want you to give up on your desire for a family because of me! I can't take away from you that one that anyone else can give you"

"But I don't want a family without you!" Lionel replied standing up as well. Miranda remained quiet as whatever she was going to respond died in her throat "I don't want anyone else. I want to be with _you_ " he continued taking her hands in his "Miri, I don't care if you can't have kids, it's not why I fell in love with you. I love you because you're intelligent, because you're brave, because you're sensitive, because you fight for what you believe in" he paused, gently cupping her cheek with his hand, stroking it with his thumb "You once asked me what I wanted; having a mini-us running around would have been nice, but after all the close calls we've had, what I really want is _us_ , together, warts and all… _this_ is enough for me… having you by my side is more than enough for me"

Miranda had remained quiet, letting his words sink in. A sense of relief and love ran through her body, lifting up her spirits. Her reply soon followed as she took his face in her hands and kissed him softly, before embracing him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you" she said quietly, holding him tight. Her fingers gently playing with his black hair. Lionel just planted a gentle kiss on her hair, hugging her tightly. No more words were needed to be said as they just needed to hold one another. Maybe parenthood was never meant for them, but in that moment they knew that as long as they were together, then everything was going to be okay.

* * *

 **Before you say anything: blame it on the italian translation, but when I played Mass Effect 2 Miranda's dossier wasn't very clear. First thing it says is that she can't conceive, but the next lines gave me the idea that she wasn't completely infertile.  
**

 **REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

 **So, how did you like this chapter? Miranda's always given me the idea of being much more sensitive than she wants others to think, also the fact that she was raised with the idea of having to be perfect, makes me think that something so small (depending on the point of view) to her it would feel like a tragedy. What did you think of the girls night out? (To all those who noticed it, yes, I did re-write the Ellen interview with Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell). What about the sisters talking? More importantly... When Miranda told Shepard abou the neoplasm? What do you think life is goign to throw at them? REVIEW and let me know. Contructive criticism is well accepted! ;-)**

 **See you next chapter!**

 **The Princess of Stars**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Tying the Knot_**

It was the third time Lionel called her. First of all, he had managed to convince Miranda to host a Normandy Crew reunion at their house. Not that Miranda wasn't happy to see their friends again, only that considering the conditions of Anderson's house after their last party, she wasn't too sure about repeating that at their house… but she gave up in the end, after having Lionel swear that it was going to remain intact.  
Second, Lionel had managed to call all of their friends. The only one he didn't manage to get in contact with was Samara. Miranda didn't take too long to realize how bummed out he was when he told her Samara wasn't coming because he couldn't reach her. The thing didn't irritate her one bit. Since the Asari first set foot on the Normandy, Miranda had realized that there had been an immediate connection between the Justicar and Lionel, but far from a romantic one. Samara's way of life had fascinated Lionel immediately, but it was more like the fascination of a son towards the glorious past of his mother. There was a deep admiration between them and Samara had soon become like a mother to Shepard and he had become a son to her. Just like Doctor Chakwas... who was the 'mom' of the Normandy crew.  
Although Lionel had resigned to the fact that Samara wasn't coming, there was one person that _needed_ to be there. The one person that Miranda would want more than anyone to be there…even though she had no idea what his actual plan was.  
Finally she picked up.

"Hey, Lionel! Sorry, I didn't answer immediately. I was in class" she said.

"Oriana! Hey! No problem. How are you?" Lionel replied.

"I'm great, thanks. How about you?"

"Everything's perfect"

"That's nice to hear. So… two missed calls. What's up?" Oriana asked.

"Would you like to meet the Normandy team?" he asked.

"Are you serious? When? Where?" she said getting all excited.

"My place, Friday night. Around 8:30p.m."

"Friday? Damn it… I can't"

"What?! Why?" he panicked.

"Because my professor hates me and he gave me a huge and difficult research to do and he wants me to turn it in Saturday morning in his office… even if there are no classes on Saturdays"

"So? You're smart. You can do it in three days" Lionel said.

"Which part of _'huge and difficult'_ did you not understand?"

"What if I helped you out?" Silence.

"You would?"

"Of course! Miri told me you'd love to meet the team and considering how things are, I'm not sure I'd be able to reunite them all again soon. The only missing one is Samara. I can't get in contact with her"

"That's a shame… well… since you said you'd help… Absolutely! Count me in!" she said.

"Great! Miri is going to be happy to see you" Lionel said.

"Wait. She doesn't know I'm coming?" Oriana asked surprised.

"No. I'd like it to be a surprise" he replied.

"Lionel, are you up to something?" she asked inquisitively.

"Dang it, Ori. You're worse than your sister!" he teased with laugh.

"I don't want to say, but this sounds kind of suspicious to me" she said jokingly.

"I'll see you on Friday. Send me your research and what you would like to do and you'll be done in no time"

"Thank you so much, you're the best! If I had an older brother I would have wanted him to be just like you"

"That can be arranged" Oriana's laugh came to an immediate halt.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Bye Oriana"

"Lionel!" and he hung up, leaving the girl speechless, mouth agape and wondering if she had guessed right. On the other hand, Lionel smiled to himself with pure satisfaction. Everything was going exactly as planned.  
When Friday finally came, for Miranda's joy, they had decided to have a calm dinner, just to relax among friends. Everyone was there, even Grunt. Only one person was still missing and Lionel smiled to himself when he heard the doorbell again and went to get it. Just as expected, Oriana had just arrived. When Miranda saw her sister, her eyes widen in surprise and immediately went to hug her tightly. Lionel just responded with a small 'surprise!' when asked . Miranda and Shepard lost no time to introduce the younger Lawson to the team. The girl was starstruck. She remembered Kaidan and Liara, since they helped saving her on Sanctuary, but knowing the whole team was a dream come true. The weirdest thing had been seeing Grunt melting like ice-cream in a sunny day, not too long after speaking with Oriana. What had not been surprising was that soon enough the junior Lawson had already become besties with Tali and Kasumi, but –surprise, surprise- she even got along with Jack. Miranda confessed that was one of the things she didn't share with, but loved about her baby sister: Oriana managed to make everyone like her.  
Suddenly the door rang once again. Lionel looked at Miranda, having no idea who that could be. The Australian preceded him and got immediately to the door and before the last guest could speak, Miranda motioned to be quiet and follow her. When the ex-Cerberus went back inside the room, she spoke up.

"Lionel" she called getting her boyfriend's attention "Look who's here" and his grey eyes widen in surprised an joy when the guest revealed herself.

"Samara! You're here!" Lionel exclaimed like a boy seeing his mother the first time after a long time and as such he went to hug her tightly.

"Hello, Lionel. It's so good to see you!" she said hugging him back, happily, but calmly and posed as usual "I wouldn't miss seeing all of you again" Immediately the others followed to greet her happy to see her. Lionel immediately introduced Oriana, who, just like him, was immediately fascinated by the Asari Justicar.

"How are you here?! I tried to contact you but it's been no…" he trailed off, glancing at Miranda who was casually looking at her nails feign vagueness. Lionel pointed towards her, looking at Samara for confirmation. The Asari nodded her head with a confirming smile.

"You found yourself a very resourceful partner" Samara said.

"I found myself an _amazing_ partner" Lionel said smiling gratefully at Miranda.

"I try" the brunette replied "So, how have things been for you so far?" she asked the Asari, as they all went back to take a seat once more. Lionel tried hard not to smile to himself. Miranda had no idea she had just made the evening perfect as he had planned. The crew was having a good time, they were all there and thanks to Miranda both most important people in their lives were there now. There was one thing left to do. Lionel had to act: now. Unknowingly to them, James Vega had shifted the conversation to a topic that could have helped Lionel fulfill the promise he had done to himself, as soon as he confessed having his sights set on someone… only to be busted immediately by Cortez.

"Oh, shut up! We all know you're talking about Liara!" Steve shouted platonically, making everyone laugh. That caused the Asari to smile to herself flattered and James to turn flaming red and trying to shift the attention onto someone else asking Garrus and Tali how they were. 'Happy' was their reply. It was then that Lionel wanted to speak up, but he was preceded by Kaidan.

"I have a question for our _Rear Admiral_ " he said giving Lionel a look "Don't get me wrong guys, seeing you all again was great and I hope we can do it another time soon… but I don't know if you noticed, but this is the only time Shepard had us all in the same place without there being the risk of us all dying soon or an emergency coming right up"

"Well, I have" Samantha said.

"Hmm… Haven't thought about it" Grunt muttered "Not to mention our unexpected guest" he added motioning to Oriana.

"Major's right. That's a first" Jack commented.

"You sure there's not something you need to tell us, Lionel?" Kaidan asked raising an eyebrow

"Should we worry, Leo?" Miranda added, glancing at him, playfully. Kaidan had no idea he had just given Lionel the perfect situation to do what he had in mind all along.

"Actually, I do have something to share with you guys" he said taking Miranda's hand and making her get up from her seat beside Oriana and leading her to the pouf in the middle of the living room, where they were all sitting and chatting, most of them with a glass of wine in hand. Miranda looked around trying to see if any of them had any idea of what Lionel was talking about, but even Kaidan, who had started it as a joke was taking a guess as good as she was. She sat on the pouf and stared up at Lionel, inquisitively.

"Okay, I'm not sure if I have to worry or not" Miranda said with a tiny smirk.

"Don't worry, everyone! I'm not going to announce an upcoming invasion" Lionel joked looking at his friends, who chuckled at his comment, but then he turned to Miranda. His heart was pounding hard. He had never been more nervous or felt such an adrenaline rush while speaking to someone, but he was never going to back out of this.

"There is something I have to say, though and I couldn't think of a better moment than one when our family is all together" he started, before pausing to take a breath and turning to Miranda "When we said our goodbyes before the final battle, I promised myself that when it was all over I was going to do something that for my whole life I thought I would have never done… but I love you, Miri and we all do things we never thought we would do when we're in love" the small box in his pocket was becoming scorching hot and heavy "I love you for many reasons but mostly I love you because you allow me to be simply Lionel and… no matter what this freaking world has thrown at us, we always managed to make it through because what we have is stronger and it's worth fighting for" he paused as the look on Miranda's face started to change, her cheeks were slightly red, but her timid smile not many people in that room had seen before, made everyone see that the feeling was mutual.

"You know I'm not a man of many words" he continued "Except for when I need to motivate my team or defend one of them, but basically every time something bad is happening and since this is pretty much the most positive moment and thing I've ever done in my life, I want to keep it simple" it was then that he reached to his pocket and took out the small blue velvet box. Everyone's jaw went on the floor, the moment they saw that. Grunt smirked admiringly, Kaidan, Vega and Cortez were smiling from ear to ear. Miranda's smile vanished and her face morphed into shock.

"Miranda Lawson" Lionel started, getting down on his knee, smiling awkwardly and opening the box, revealing a simple silver band with a small diamond in the middle "Will you marry me?"

There. He had popped the question and the other's couldn't help but feel happy that Lionel had decided to share it with them. Tali, Kasumi and Samantha were fighting hard not to squeal in excitement as they waited for Miranda's reply. Jacob and Garrus glanced at each other and fist bumped as they had seen that coming soon enough. Jack glanced at Oriana with an approving smirk directed to the couple. The younger Lawson had covered her mouth with her hands waiting anxiously for her big sister to reply. Joker tightened his arm around EDI's shoulder's smiling excitedly, as the AI was about to analyze what was going on, but decided it was best not to as she realized what was going on. Dr. Chakwas grinned like a proud mom seeing her baby boy growing up.  
It was just a few seconds that seemed to stop the world as Lionel and the other's waited for Miranda's reply, who was just as shocked as they were.

"Oh my God…" she mumbled looking away, trying to hide her face with her hand as her eyes started to water. Only Lionel and Oriana knew how much this meant to her. Those few moment were killing him, but Lionel knew that she was still trying to take in what he had just asked her and tried to keep up his smile although he was panicking inside. Then Miranda wiped her watery eyes and turned back to him.

"Yes…" she replied softly "Yes, I'll marry you" she repeated smiling widely, standing up and hugging him tightly as he got up himself to embrace her. The other's cheered for them, clapping their hands, Tali, Kasumi and Samantha shouting a cheerful 'Yes!', the guys giving each other pats and congratulating the couple, Oriana cheering happily, finally realizing what Lionel had meant on the phone.

"I love you" Miranda told him pulling slightly away from their hug.

"I love you too" Lionel replied and gently taking her hand he placed the engagement ring on her ring-finger. Miranda smiled at him and taking his face in her hands she kissed him tenderly.  
Samara watched as her boy held tightly in his arms the love of his life, feeling a joy she never thought she could feel since realizing she was the mother of the only living Ardat-Yakshi. To her, it wasn't just her friend proposing and sharing this moment with them all, it was her son. It was just then that she noticed there was just one person who was trying to feel the happiness and was clapping her hands for the happy couple, but her eyes showed heartbreak: that person was Liara.  
It wasn't maliciousness or anything like that, only that 'mating' was different for the Asari: once you choose your mate, it was him/her or no one else. It was a bond that could hardly be broken by rejection, although it was clear that Lionel never actually realized that Liara had feelings for him.  
The young Asari watched and cheered for them. If on one side she was happy for her friend and leader on the other she was heartbroken. She knew that Lionel only had eyes for Miranda, she was everything to him, _she_ _ **was**_ his everything and what hurt Liara the most was that she couldn't even say that the ex-Cerberus was using him because even a stranger could tell that she was deeply in love with him as well. Heck- even Jack said she had seen that!  
Suddenly Liara felt a hand on her shoulder, it was Samara who was sitting beside her with an understanding motherly smile on her face. The Justicar soon slid her arm around Liara's shoulders and held her gently, comfortingly, rubbing her upper arm with the other hand, masking it as a way to cheer for the couple. But the young Asari gratefully smiled as she realized she was there to comfort her like a daughter.

* * *

Lionel and Miranda got married a few months later. They did something small inviting only their friends and family. During the preparations, things had been hectic. Lionel was being dragged everywhere by the guys to enjoy his last days as a bachelor and doing his part in the wedding planning, he was ecstatic. Miranda on the other hand, no matter how happy she was, she was in serious need for the girls to help her. Getting teased to no end for the fact that the great ex-Cerberus XO knew how to hack into alien systems, fight Reapers, break in into a Cerberus fortress while chased by an assassin and outsmart the Illusive Man, but had no idea how to handle wedding preparations. With a little help from Kasumi, Tali and Samantha, fortunately she managed to do her part well.  
Miranda had asked Oriana to walk her down the aisle and be her Maid of Honor and Samantha, Tali and Kasumi to be her bridesmaids. Lionel on the other hand asked Garrus to be his best-man and Kaidan, Jacob and Vega to be his groomsmen. When it came to the dress and tux, Miranda had no problem at all. She and the girls went looking for it and she had found the perfect dress that magnificently brought out her beauty. The groom was having problems with the tux, though. He wanted his friends' help but apparently none of the tuxes he tried were the right one, they did not feel 'Lionel Shepard'. It was Miranda who accidentally solved the problem, when they found a picture of Lionel's promotion day, while he was standing in his official Rear Admiral uniform glory. It had been Miranda's appreciating comment about him in a uniform that made him realized he had his tux in his wardrobe for the whole time.

Of all the wedding preparations, only two things got a little out of hand: the bachelor and bachelorette party. The bachelor party got a little wild especially since Garrus and Joker got a little too drunk and while Joker started piloting the booth they were sitting at, Garrus had started flirting with Grunt, who luckily did not punch him in the face, but shooed him to Kaidan who tried to get him to sit down and calm down, failing miserably, as the moment the boys got out of the bar Garrus started flirting with a salarian cop, calling him 'Tali' and asking him to marry him. Shepard managed to get him out of trouble.  
As for Miranda's bachelorette party… the organization had been a problem. The first idea (Jack's) had been to get a couple of male models, have them lay on a table, completely naked, so that they could eat sushi on them… Oriana made sure the idea was flushed down the toilet and never reached Miranda's ears, especially since the bride had said she didn't want a bachelorette party. But the girls insisted and were trying to surprise her. The second idea (Kasumi's) was to take her to a club with male strippers… Miranda made them "subtly" understand that she wasn't going into such club even if they killed her. Then there had been a third idea: Tali's.  
After deciding what they were going to do, while the girls were at Samantha's hotel room to chill, at the end of the evening Tali was sitting on an armchair surrounded by books, whose content she was trying to hide from Miranda's view. They were just relaxing and chatting, until it was time for the bride to go home, before she left though, she turned back to Samantha, right in front of the door.

"Hey, Sam" she started "Do you know the difference between curry and curcuma?" Samantha looked puzzled.

"No" she replied

"Well, up until today, neither did I" Miranda replied "And I don't like curcuma and I don't even like curry. Night, girls!" and with that she went out of the door. Samantha, Jack, Kasumi and Liara turned to an exasperated Tali.

"And there goes the idea of the bachelorette party at the Indian restaurant!" she exclaimed, closing the book on the Indian kitchen chapter and gently tossing it on the table with a huff "It's not so hard to eat Indian… even I can!"  
The last crazy attempt had been Samantha's crazy idea to throw her the ultimate party at a super VIP place with a DJ and catering services. Oriana, Liara were informed when they joined Samantha at a diner on Ilium as they were waiting for Miranda to join them when her shift was over.

"Really, Sam?… a famous DJ for VIP parties?" Oriana commented when Samantha told her about the idea. "How did you even get one?"

"A few friends of mine owed me a favor" Samantha replied calmly.

"What about the 'just us' thing?" Liara asked.

"I know, I know. But look at it this way: Miri has probably never been to a real party before, so… what is better than a bachelorette party to let her taste a crazy, wild celebration still as a 'free' woman?" she said taking her phone out starting to dial a number "Jack, Tali, EDI and Kasumi have already agreed! I'm calling the caterer right now and-"

"-Sh! There's Miranda!" Liara shut her up as the oblivious brunette entered the diner, clearly needing to relax.

"Hey, Randa!- Hey, girl!- Hi!" the girls saluted.

"Hey girls" Miranda greeted back "Sorry I'm late, a colleague of mine found out I was getting married and she just _had_ to tell me the whole tale of her wedding and it's preparations. I swear, the next person who talks to me about crazy wild parties is dead!" she paused shortly, taking a breath "I'll go wash my hands. Be right back" and she left for the restroom. Oriana and Liara looked at Samantha who still had her phone in hand.

"I am _not_ calling the caterer…" she said sheepishly, deleting the number and closing her phone. In the end they had their bachelorette party at the beach. Talking with her big sister, Oriana found out that Miranda had never gone to the beach… it was time to fix that. With Lionel's help in packing her stuff, the girls soon had everything ready: food for a picnic on the beach, sun-cream, bikini, alcoholic drinks and the boys out of the way. It took them a while, but in the end they realized that to Miranda it didn't matter having a party, to her it was more important having her friends around her and enjoying their time together on that day as a way of telling one another that they'll always be friends, even if one of them gets married. When they first brought her to the place they had set up, the moment Miranda had realized that they had organized that all together for _her_ she had found herself at loss of words and feeling the waterworks dangerously tickling her eyes. She scolded herself for letting them see how much of a softie she was deep down. Luckily for her, Jack managed to distract her in her fashion.

"Ey, Cheerleader! If you start crying, I'm gonna kick your ass!" she said failing to hide her smile. Miranda laughed at her and thanking her friends and not resisting to the group hug Tali suggested, the girls settled down for their beach day.

When the wedding day arrived no one could tell who was more nervous if Lionel or Miranda. Everything went according to plan: the music, the decorations, the ceremony, the heartfelt vows full of love, everything. Shepard even surprised everyone during their first dance as a married couple, when he proved that he could dance… everyone saw Garrus's satisfied and cocky grin, clearly bragging about being the one who taught him how to do so.  
Lionel had showed up in his ceremonial Rear Admiral uniform glory, as the other Alliance members who were invited. When Miranda made her entrance and walked down the aisle, accompanied by her sister, with confidence and elegance, the best man and groomsmen were already set to go grab the groom in case he fainted. Lionel had been completely captivated by her the moment his angel walked towards him. Neither of them could hardly believe it, they were moments away from becoming husband and wife. Putting the rings on their finger and hearing the vows was nothing compared to hearing the other say 'I do' and their smiles couldn't get any wider as Kolyat, Thane's son, pronounced them husband and wife. When they were finally allowed to kiss, before she could do anything, Lionel had cupped Miranda's cheek with his hand and kissed her lovingly. She was slightly caught off-guard but kissed back right away, wrapping her arms around his neck as the guests erupted in cheer for the happy couple.  
That had been one of the most beautiful days of their lives. The day they became Mr. and Mrs. Shepard.

* * *

 **Sooo... sorry for the long wait... but how did you like this chapter? Don't worry, it's not the end yet. Review and let me know what you think about this!  
Sorry for the long wait, once again, thank you for reading a reviewing and a late HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

 **Until next time!**

 **The Princess of Stars**


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